One Way Or Another
by Littlewerepire7
Summary: Spirit Bound spoiler. After Dimitri is being questioned by Reece, Rose expresses her feelings to both Dimitri and Lissa and she's NOT happy. Rose storms out of the Court, only to run into a Strigoi. She gets turned. Will she be saved? Or stay Strigoi?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybuddi :)**

**Just giving the last warning: If you haven't read Spirit Bound don't read this one-shot. Because there is a small section from the book that I added in at the beginning. If you've read passed pg 407 then read it :)**

**If not and you don't want me to spoil it for you, then don't.**

**This one-shot starts from pg 404-406 (After Dimitri is being questioned by Reece with Lissa and Rose there), and also in italics will be what's in the book. Normal writing is my own.**

**So anyway I hope you all enjoy it and if you do, then please review :)**

**Rose's POV (Obviously haha)**

_This caused more laughter, and the third Moroi interrogator, who'd been quiet, snorted and rose from his seat. "I've seen all I need to. I don't think he should walk around unguarded, but he's no Strigoi. Give him a real place to stay and just keep guards on him until further decisions are made."_

_Reece shot up. "But-"_

_The other man waved him off. "Don't waste any more time. It's hot, and I want to go to bed. I'm not saying I understand what happened, but this is the least of our problems right now, not with half the Council wanting to rip the other half's heads off over the age decree. If anything, what we've seen today is a good thing- miraculous, even. It could alter the way we've lived. I'll report back to Her Majesty."_

_And like that, the group began dispersing but there was wonder on some of their faces. They too were beginning to realize that if what had happened to Dimitri was real, then everything we'd ever know about Strigoi was about to change. The guardians stayed with Dimitri, of course, as he and Lissa rose. I immediately moved toward them, eager to bask in our victory. When he'd been "knocked over" by Jonathan's tiny punch, Dimitri had given me a small smile, and my heart had leapt. I'd known then that I'd been right. He did still have feelings for me. But now, in the blink of an eye, that rapport was gone. Seeing me walk towards them, Dimitri's face grew cold and guarded again._

_**Rose**, said Lissa through the bond. **Go away now. Leave him alone.**_

_"The hell I will," I said, both answering her aloud and addressing him. "I just furthered your case."_

_"We were doing fine without you," said Dimitri stiffly._

"_Oh yeah?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You seemed pretty grateful a couple minutes ago when I thought up the idea of you helping us against Strigoi."_

_Dimitri turned to Lissa. His voice was low, but it carried to me. "I don't want to see her."_

"_You have to!" I exclaimed. A few departing people paused to see what the racket was about. "You can't ignore me."_

"_Make her go away," Dimitri growled._

"_I'm not-"_

_**ROSE!**_

_Lissa shouted in my head, shutting me up. Those piercing jade eyes stared me down. __**Do you want to help him or not? Standing here and yelling at him is going to make him even more upset! Is that what you want? Do you want people to see that? See him get mad and yell back at you just so you don't feel invisible? They need to see him calm. They need to see him…normal. It's true- you did just help. But if you don't walk away right now, you could ruin everything.**_

**(A/N: Ok; now the rest is what I personally wrote)**

I glared at her. "So that I not feel invisible huh, Lissa?" I shot back at her.

"Rose-"

"No. See this is what you don't get and will never get, Lissa. Why don't you try to see how I feel, how about you try to step into my shoes," I never took my eyes off her. "How would you feel if Christian wouldn't want to see you?"

"He doesn't anyway. And it isn't the same-"

"Bull-fucking-shit, Liss. Don't mess with me; I know you still love him. I know that every time you pass him you wish you two were together. Now just picture him turning Strigoi, then becoming a Moroi again and not ever wanting to see you because of the horrible things he has done," I spat.

I turned to him. "And you, if you haven't realized this yet, Dimitri, I love you. I will always love you and nothing you do will stop that. The stuff you did to me? Learn to forgive and forget! Because at the first second I saw that you changed back to yourself, I forgot all those stuff. I forgot what you used to be; because all I could think about is that you were my Dimitri again. _My _Dimitri, you understand? Just like I'm _your_ Rose."

Both stared at me speechless. His eyes were soft but his jaw was tight.

Lissa finally built up the courage to talk. "Rose, I-"

"And what if it was me with Christian and I was telling-"

"This is unfair, Rose. I'm doing this to help him," she growled.

"And have you noticed that you're going over the top?"

"No, I'm not. I'm protectin-"

I scoffed. "Yeah, he really needs another mother in his life."

"Rose! Are you hearing yourself?" she retorted.

"Yeah, I am. The question is are you hearing me? Are you two planning to-"

"I'm protective of him because I feel as if-"

"Save it for someone who cares."

"Rose, will you listen to her," Dimitri hissed.

I glared at him. "Sticking up for her are we? What, now you've got feelings for her?"

"There is nothing going on between us, Rose," she said. "How could you think that?" she yelled

I glared at both of them. Not only were they hurting me but also making me do something I have barely done.

Something wet started to fall down my cheek.

I frowned then rolled my eyes when I found out what it was.

Tears.

And a lot of them.

"Rose-"

Lissa started to move forward. I stepped back, she stopped looking hurt.

"You see what you have done to me. Since when do I cry, Lissa? When? Never!" I screamed at her.

"Look I know you're upset but-"

"Upset doesn't even cut it," I said wiping tears away.

"Rose, please," she begged.

I glared at her with as much intensity as I could.

"No."

She knew what I meant. I wouldn't give up.

That one word hung around us like a black cloud.

This is my cue to leave, I thought.

"This isn't over," I said.

I started down the pathway. Lissa called my name a few times but I didn't look back. All I knew was that she pissed me off so much that I couldn't be anywhere near her at the moment.

So I walked away.

But something hadn't changed and that was the way I felt about Dimitri.

One way or another. I'm going to get my Dimitri back.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Hope you liked it. It was a bit shorter than I expected it to be :S**

**But that's ok :)**

**So please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	2. Chapter 2: AN

**A/N: Okay, I've decided to continue this story. So I hope you all enjoy it :)**


	3. Chapter 2: Congratulations, Rose

**PLEASE READ!**

**By the way, I've changed the summary a bit because I'm going to continue it. **

**P.S I was going to post this chapter onto the author's note but I was running late this morning to go somewhere so I didn't have time. Sorry for the wait :S**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 2**

**Rose's POV**

Why did this happen to me? Why me? A guardian sworn to protect the Moroi, only to be turned into a Strigoi. I would never be the same again. Never protect Lissa again. Even though she peed me off not even twenty minutes ago I would trade anything to be with her now.

And Dimitri….

God. I've lost him too.

…Oh no….no, no, no, NO!

No! Keep yourself together Rose. Oh god.

I was turning. I could feel it. The pain was so excruciating that I couldn't even scream. My eyesight changed. My hearing changed. My body suddenly felt numb, as if it was so cold that I couldn't even feel it.

I started to forget that Lissa was my best friend, that Adrian was my boyfriend. And most of all: Dimitri. Now…when I thought about them, they were only one thing: food.

The Strigoi that bit me was standing right in front of me. She smiled sweetly at me.

"Congratulations, Rose. You are now a dead," she laughed.

The pain was gone. The feelings were gone.

Now I was undead.

I was a Strigoi.

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

I ran. I ran as fast as I possibly could.

I wanted to get out of the Court and …I don't know, go somewhere. Anywhere but here so I could think.

I sighed, when I needed to stop. I sat on a bench, which had a glorious fountain behind it. I was trying to control my breathing when Adrian found me.

He literally scared the hell out of me, making me jump when he sat down.

"Whoa there little dhampir," he chuckled.

"Adrian, do you mind? I'm kinda not in the mood to be scared shitless," I grumbled making him laugh even harder.

"Hey, do you have a car I could borrow?" I suddenly asked.

He gave me one of those _looks_, saying I-am-a-rich-person-that-owns-at-least-a-hundred-or-so-cars-and-you're-asking-me-a-stupid-question-like-that.

"I take that as a yes?"

"Yes," he ginned.

I nodded slowly pointedly looking at him and waiting for him to give me a set of keys. When he didn't I stopped nodding.

"Well?" I asked.

"What?"

"Can I borrow one of your cars?" I exclaimed.

"Oh, sure. Which type you want? There's fast cars, slow cars, cruising cars, sports cars, limos, trucks, 4WD-"

"Adrian! I just need a car," I said exasperated.

Jeesh! I just wanted a car. One car! No need to go into detail, I just needed a car!

He sighed. "Alright. I'll give you one of my personal favorites," he grinned.

"Personal favorite?" I asked slowly.

"Uh huh."

"Is it fast?"

"Very," he said in a teasing dangerous voice.

"Hmmm, sounds good," I grinned.

**OoOoOoOo**

Then I was off, driving manically fast down the highway in Adrian's black Lambos 3, with luckily no one on the road.

I had my sunglasses on and was singing along with the song that was currently playing on the radio.

I started humming the tune and took my eyes off the road to look at the view on the right of me. When I returned my eyes back on the road a second later, my heart stopped beating. There in the middle of the road was a Strigoi.

I, on instinct, hit the brakes hard, grabbed my stake and quickly got out of the car before she could move. Yeah, we were on the road and a semi was coming from behind, but it was a four-lane highway. Besides, I concentrated more on the Strigoi them the beeping semi that drove passed us.

I narrowed my eyes at the Strigoi, waiting for them to make the first move. We weren't exactly close to each other, but I could just see their appearance.

Which frightened me the most. Because I knew the Strigoi.

My eyes widened.

"Avery," I said stiffly.

Her wild hair was blowing in the wind, her red eyes piercing my own, and her smile was taunting me.

"Hello, Rose," she said smugly.

I was still frozen. Not only did I hate her, so it kinda makes my job in killing her easier, but also I wanted to know how the hell she get out of the Institution that she was staying at because she has totally lost her mind.

She looked down at my stake and laughed.

"Good luck trying to kill me, Rose. You seriously think I'd come and find you alone?"

There was a teasing glint in her eyes as she said that.

Out of nowhere, well to be specific they came from a car that was parked behind Avery that was pulled over to the side, two figures made their way behind Avery. I guessed who they were and straight up I knew I was correct.

Reed and Simon.

"Funny seeing you two still as her tagalong's," I smirked.

Reed eyes widened in surprise then he sneered.

"Rosemarie Hathaway."

"Reed. Simon," was the only greeting I gave to them.

"Where's your Moroi?" Simon asked.

I narrowed my eyes. "That's none of your concern."

Shit, I realized just then that I was up against three wacko Strigoi. I couldn't create a diversion to escape or run to my car and drive away, because then they'd won. But I didn't exactly want to die either.

I took a deep breath in when I remembered what happed to Lissa, Christian and Priscilla Voda that night Strigoi attacked them. Although there were heaps of Strigoi there that night that attacked them, there was still more than one guardian. One of Lissa's guardians died, along with all of Priscilla's.

But there are only three, Rose. And only one of me.

_You could take them_, a voice whispered inside of me said. _You're a guardian now. One of the top best of your age group. Fight!_

Simon laughed. "They didn't make you a guardian, right? Because you ran away to find your Strigoi boyfriend?"

"We heard that he got changed back," Reed sneered.

"I wonder if he'll go after you too. Well, since you're going to be a Strigoi very soon," Avery grinned.

"Don't count on it," I said calmly, sinking into a defensive position.

They just laughed when they saw me.

"She's a brave one," Simon teased.

"But not fast enough for us," Reed said.

He ran at me with speed that I was just about to block myself from. He, not having very good fighting skills, ran at me but didn't see that in the last second I pulled my stake out in front of me and plunged it through his heart.

His body fell lifelessly on the ground in front of me.

One down, two to go. Easy peasy.

I look up at Avery with a glint of challenge in my eyes.

How ya like that biatch, I thought smugly.

She stared at her brother's corpse with shook. Which then turned to anger.

She then stepped closer to me.

"Just for that Rose, we aren't letting you go. I was thinking that we might kill you instead of turning you. But why not let you suffer like my brother did just then," she said.

"I killed him instantly. No pain, no feeling for him. And for me, well no regret," I spat, climbing into another defensive stance.

"That's it. I'm tired of your crap. Simon get her," she ordered.

This is where my luck ran out, because I thought I had him. I really did, but what I didn't see was that somehow without me noticing, Avery snuck up behind me and tripped me, making me almost land on Reed's body if it weren't for Simon grabbing a tight hold on me while she slowly leant down.

Before she bit me, she caressed my cheek.

I cringed away and was considering biting her hand but I think that would hurt my teeth more then it would hurt her.

"Any last words, Hathaway?" she said sweetly.

"Go to hell," I said then spat at her. My spit landed right on her eye as she screeched. She slapped me hard then leant down and bit me.

I screamed my final scream as a sane person, then it died down, as I became the very thing I sworn to destroy.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Hope you liked it. **

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	4. Chapter 3: It was my fault

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 3**

**Lissa's POV**

Later that day I was at a dinner that was held in memory for Priscilla Voda. When her family gave a toast, the last one to give a toast was her mother. As expected, the poor thing bawled her eyes out after three sentences.

All the royals were there, even non-royal Moroi, like Mia. And to my annoyance, she hung around Christian.

To my greater annoyance, she, dragging him with her, came up to the circular table in the corner that I was sitting at and grinned.

"Hey, Lissa, Adrian and Dimitri."

Dimitri accompanied me, which I was grateful for. I'd asked Tatiana if it would be all right if he came as well and she was fine with it just as long there were guardians on him, which were there. There were three of them and they stood up against the wall not too far away from him.

Mia sat down in the chair that was next to Adrian, who sat next to me. Christian reluctantly sat next to her, looking nervous.

His eyes briefly met mine then I looked away to grin at Mia. I didn't mind her, I just wasn't happy that she always hung out with my ex.

"Hey, Mia, Christian," I grinned at both of them, but I never really met his gaze.

The table just fitted us all with a spare seat for Rose.

That is if she'd come. I texted her but I doubt she'd come. Not after the way I treated her. I hid my grimace.

"So where's Rose? Guardians are invited aren't they?" Mia asked, picking at the food on the table.

"I don't know. She might come. I texted her and she hasn't texted me back. She's probably busy," I said.

Mia just nodded.

"I lent her my car. It's pretty late," said Adrian, said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'm sure she's fine," Mia said.

"What kind of car did you give her?" I asked.

"A Lambos 3," he grinned, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Good god, Adrian. You know how Rose gets when she's in fast cars," Mia grinned.

"Yeah," I laughed.

He looked at Mia and I with mock innocence. "Hey, I went through the list of the types of cars and she wasn't really specific so I thought I'd surprise her in giving her a fast car."

I smiled which inside was a grimace.

She asked for a car so that she could get away. Be alone. Probably from me. What I'd do to know where she is now.

"Can I please have some more wine," I called out to a nearby waiter.

He delicately placed a bottle in the middle of the table and grinned.

"Enjoy."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. I reached for the bottle but I wasn't quick enough. Adrian snatched it when the waiter left and poured the wine into his glass until it reached the top. I shook my head, but couldn't help grin.

"You just can't help yourself can you?" I laughed.

"Nope," he grinned, gulping his wine down.

I grabbed the bottle and poured the wine into my glass halfway. I placed the bottle in the middle of the table, but not without asking Dimitri if he wanted any. He politely said no and thanked me anyway. I nodded then watched the orchestra play beautifully while I sipped the wine. I didn't recognize what piece they were playing but I loved it.

When they finished I clapped along with everyone else.

"That was amazing," I said awestruck.

"Yeah, it was," Mia agreed.

They started to play another piece when my neck started to hurt.

Like something burnt it. I jumped, causing everyone to look at me. My eyes looked unto Christian's.

"Are you burning my neck?" I gasped. What a stupid to ask. Like hell would he do that!

"No. Why would you think I would do that?" he frowned, looking hurt.

I didn't pay much attention. All I knew was that my neck was on fire. Well not literally.

"Because my neck is burning. C-Can someone get me some ice?" I said frantically.

Everyone was looking at me with concern, and then Christian got up and ran to a nearby waitress. He spoke quickly to her, sending her running to a nearby table where a wine bottle was sitting in a beautiful looking pot filled with ice to keep the wine cool. She ran to him and gave it to him, then started to walk around again.

He ran back to me and placed the ice in front of me. I quickly picked up a piece of ice and placed it on the side of my neck.

I dabbed it all around that area where it hurt the most.

"It's not working," I whispered.

"We got to get you to a doctor," Mia said, standing up.

"No!" I said in a rush. "It's ok. It'll go away soon," I said.

But it wasn't. The pain was getting worse and worse. I felt like screaming. The pain was that bad. It was like someone was burning me.

"Lissa," Dimitri said, rising up as well.

What the fuck is going on?

I turned to Adrian.

"Adrian, is my neck red?" I asked quickly.

"No, it isn't. Lissa, what the hell is going on?" he asked, his eyes holding worry and distress.

My neck wasn't red so what is it then? My neck hasn't got any burnt marks and I haven't broken my neck so then…

It was Rose.

She was the one in pain.  
And because we shared a bond, I can feel her pain but how? I could never feel anything from her before so why now?

Forget about it now! She's in trouble! So tell them!

"I….I…," I stuttered.

God, the pain was so intense now that I whimpered.

"We need help over here!" Christian shouted.

People started to look at us, then saw me, clutching my neck and looking like a total idiot.

"No, I'm fine…,"I struggled to say the words.

I could see that the queen was making her way over to me.

"It's…It's…"

Say it, Lissa! Tell them it's not you but it's Rose.

"Lissa, darling, what's the matter?" I barely heard Tatiana.

That's when I looked like a crazy person. I stood up so abruptly that my chair fell down behind me. I squeezed my eyes closed and sobbed.

"It's not me. It's not me," I sobbed, clinging unto my neck.

"Get a doctor!" Tatiana said to a nearby guardian. The guardian nodded then ran at top speed out of the room.

"What's not you, Lissa?" Dimitri asked warily.

"The pain! It's not me, it's…"

I then started to scream.

The pain was so great that I screamed so loud, it was heard over the orchestra who now stopped playing.

"SAVE HER!" I screeched. "IT ISN'T ME! IT'S ROSE! HELP HER!" I screamed over and over.

Before I passed out I screamed one last time, "SAVE ROSE! SHE'S IN PAIN! SAVE-"

Then I collapsed from the pain. In seconds, my world went dark.

**OoOoOoOo**

I woke up and the first thing I saw was Christian's face. He was asleep. Then I looked around the room and noticed I was at the Moroi hospital. Great.

"Oh, Lissa! Thank goodness you're ok!" Mia said tearfully, and embraced me.

I blinked a few times after she let go. Christian was startled by Mia's outburst, and then looked down at me with wide eyes.

I rubbed my eyes and groaned. "What happened?"

Both of them looked at each other before Christian spoke to me.

"Lissa, how are you feeling?" he asked, seeming genially concerned.

I frowned. "I fine. But I don't get why I'm here. So why am I here?" I asked.

Mia grasped my hand tightly. She bit her lip and grimaced.

"Lissa. I think you need to see this before we tell you what's happened," Mia said slowly.

"Where's Rose? Does she know I'm in here?" I asked, already getting out of the bed. I was still in the gown I wore to the dinner last night. "Everything is such a blur."

"Easy," Christian warned when he saw me getting out of bed. "Doc said you could go when you wake up but you need to be careful. You also had to tell us if you feel sick, ok?" he said sternly.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, completely annoyed.

We walked out of the hospital quickly.

"Adrian is waiting for us on the other side of the Court. We better hurry," Christian said.

The sun was blindly bright when we walked all that way to a distant building that was still part of the Court.

I couldn't quite explain it but I felt as if something was missing. I left so empty inside when I used to feel so whole. It was as if something was ripped apart from me.

We walked towards a building, which Adrian was leaning against. His head was bowed and his figure was shaking as if he was sobbing.

"Adrian?" I called warily.

His head slowly shot up when he heard us approaching. Tears were streaming down his face, but his expression was blank. How'd that work?

I ran up to him and frowned with concern.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He just stared at me with eyes that held sadness, like he lost something that was close to him.

"Lissa?" Mia called.

I turned to her. She opened up a door that leaded into the building. "It's in here."

"What's in there?" I asked.

"The Lambos 3. With a bit of a message spray canned on the bonnet," Adrian spat.

I looked up at him. Then narrowed my eyes.

"Alright! That's it! I wanna know what's going on and I wanna know right now!" I yelled at them.

They all seemed so torn apart yet they controlled their feelings.

Christian beckoned me inside. "Come one."

That's all he said, and then walked through the door, followed by Mia. Adrian took me by the shoulder and walked next to me inside the building.

I looked around and was surprised to see that it was a warehouse.

Boxes were stacked onto of each other in the far back corner while a piece of metal junk was sitting closer to the side we came in from.

"Well?" I asked, completely annoyed now.

How does this answer my question?

Adrian pointed to the metal near us.

"That used to be my Lambos 3," he said.

My eyes widened when I saw that he was right when I moved closer to the car.

The windows were shattered; spray pain was all over it. There was swearing spray painted on the car and according to Adrian, there was a message on the bonnet.

"The bonnet was the only thing they didn't destroy," Mia grimaced.

I moved towards the bonnet and choked back the words I was about to say to Mia.

Written in blood red spray paint was a message. It said:

Hathaway is one of us now, so consider her one of the living dead. Love Avery xoxox

"She's taken Rose," Christian said stiffly.

"Wait, Avery is a Strigoi?" Mia asked, not being able to contain her sobs.

"Yes," Adrian said.

I backed away from the car. I couldn't be near it. Only, what? A day ago, my best friend was driving in it. Now she's a living dead.

"Rose is Strigoi," I said tonelessly.

Three pairs of eyes turned my way.

"That's what happened wasn't it? I was in pain because she was in pain. She was bitten, she screamed, I-I screamed. Now that she's Strigoi we don't have a bond…"

That was what was missing. Rose. She was missing from me. She was a part of me. And now…I've lost her.

"It's my fault," I whispered.

Christian shook his head.

"No, don't say that-"

"Don't you get it? It's my fault! I yelled at her and she got upset. She went to you," I said to Adrian," then got a car and drove off…if I wasn't so mean to her…if I wasn't such a bitch she'd be here now! A normal person! But no! She isn't! She never will be again because of me!" I yelled, and then ended breaking down sobbing on the floor.

Christian came up to her and did the most surprising thing. He wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around him and sobbed. He cupped my face with one of his hands and waited until I looked up at him.

"It is not your fault, Lissa. We're going to get Rose back one way or another. I promise you," he said softly. He kissed my forehead then let me sob into his shoulder.

No matter what he said to me, I never stopped believing that it wasn't my fault.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Hope you liked it. **

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	5. Chapter 4: I'm coming, Roza

**WARNING:**

**Something is wrong with my computer so this story may be deleted if I fixed my comp. But it's ok! I'll upload the story again, promise. There's no telling if I'm going to fix my comp soon, but I'll try to give you all a heads up. Unless a family member decides to fix it without telling me :S I just wanted to let you all know because a lot of you have added this story in your favorites, which I'm grateful for :) I'm glad you all like it :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 4**

**Dimitri's POV**

I lay on my bed, completely frozen from what happened last night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Lissa yelling the words "IT ISN'T ME! IT'S ROSE! HELP HER!

I squeezed my eyes tightly at the memory.

I took deep breaths and tried to figure out what to do next. I needed to talk to Lissa. Even though I couldn't bear to be around Rose because I felt guilty of doing all those horrible things to her, although all I wanted was to desperately hold her, I didn't want her to be in pain.

As soon as the guardians that stood in front of my cell said it was day time, I didn't hesitate in ordering to get out of here. I need to find Lissa and fast. On the way out of the prison I asked one of the guardians where the Dragomir princess is, but there was no need. I could see that Lissa was walking across the campus with Christian's arm wrapped around her. Adrian along with Mia were walking behind them.

Odd. I thought Lissa and Christian weren't together.

Never mind that, I thought.

Without any of my guardians consent I ran in front of her and Christian. Christian's eyes widened in surprise at my abrupt appearance then grimaced. I looked down at Lissa and saw she was weeping. My heart squeezed.

I looked up at Christian. "What happened?" I said, instantly going into guardian mode.

He grimaced and looked up at me with tired eyes.

"Lissa's just upset because Rose is…" he bit his lip and turned away.

I narrowed my eyes. "Rose is what?" I demanded.

Adrian's head whipped up and he glared at me.

"She's Strigoi thanks to you," he spat at me.

My eyes widened and my heart was beating faster than it has ever gone. Strigoi? My Rose has become Strigoi?

Lissa looked up and glared at him. "It isn't his fault!" she yelled at him.

His glare turned from me to her.

"Don't you start, Lissa! I'm sick and tired of acting like everything is going to be okay! It isn't. If you haven't noticed but your friend is now dead!"

"I have noticed it! I was the one who noticed it first if I recall correctly! What did you do? Cry? I was the one who sent those guardians to go find Rose!" she screamed back at him.

"No shit," he spat. "And did they bring her back? NO!"

"At least I did something!"

"Well at least it wasn't me who made her go for a drive out of the Court in the first place-"

"Alright, that's enough. From both of you," Christian said looking between Lissa and Adrian.

"Are you certain?" I asked Lissa desperately, gripping her shoulders.

I needed to hear her say it wasn't true. That _my_ Rose isn't a Strigoi. Not her. Never Rose. How could someone so beautiful…so full of life and goodness, not including her badass attitude, be Strigoi.

She bit her lip and blinked back the tears. "I'm so sorry, Dimitri," she whispered, her voice broke twice.

I started to back away with a look of disbelief on my face.

"No. It's not true. I don't believe it," I kept shaking my head.

She nodded slowly, blinking back her tears. "It's true."

"How do you know?" I said, stopping abruptly.

She nodded her head towards the building she just came from. "The car Rose was in was the only thing they could find," she grimaced.

"And her stake," Mia added, also tearful.

I looked over at Mia. "Her stake as well?"

"Well you don't see many Strigoi carrying around stakes, do ya?" Adrian said sarcastically.

I ignored him, and instead turned to my guardians.

"Do I have permission to go in the building?" I asked them.

All three guardians glanced at each other looking unsure.

"We can go back the building," Mia offered. Lissa nodded in agreement.

One of the guardians turned his head to the guardian in the middle, obviously being the guardian in charge, shrugged. "I don't see why not," he said.

The leader guardian regarded me suspiciously then shrugged as well. "Come along then."

We walked swiftly into the building and immediately I went straight to work. I circled the car, looking at it in every angle.

The car had been smashed three times on the roof of the car making three large dints.

"Approximately three Strigoi. Two steel bats, one pocket knife and four spray paints," I muttered as I examined the car.

"Uh, what was that?" Christian asked.

Everyone stood back giving me room. When the leader guardian saw the car he let out a low whistle.

"What a shame. Love that type of car. What is it?" he asked.

"It's a Lambos 3. A total loss," Adrian said sadly.

Lissa's head whipped in his direction.

"Better it then Rose," she spat.

His angry eyes focused on her. "No. My car is the lucky one," he spat right back.

"How is it more lucky then Rose's situation?"

"For one: it's dead. I bet she'd rather be dead then Strigoi-"

"What's the difference?" Christian's sarcastic piped in.

"Christian, shut up," Mia said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Rose's fate was much worse then the car's," Adrian continued.

"You-"

"Shut the fuck up!" I roared.

Whoa. That was the first time I swore in English in how many months? Whatever the number of months, it's just not natural for me to swear in English. Period.

While everyone froze in silence, I examined the car more closely.

"They scratched the car head to toe with the pocket knife and dented the car with the bats. There are four different colour span paints on here," I said again.

"That's the obvious," one of the guardians said.

I crouched down and looked at the passenger's door and grinned. I turned to the guardians.

"We can find out who the Strigoi members are," I said slowly.

"How?" the leader guardian asked.

I pointed to the door. "Fingerprints. And I doubt their Rose's. What we need here is-"

"That's already been taken care of. The fingerprints are fake. So these Strigoi knew what they were doing," the leader said.

"They're fake?" I asked.

"Unfortunately."

God, I needed to hit something. I was tempted to beat t the crap out of what's left of the car but I doubted Adrian would appreciate that.

I took a deep breath and sat on the ground. I put my head in my hands and muttered. "Can I have a few minutes by myself, please?" I asked in a pathetic whisper.

There was a moment of hesitation.

I could hear the guardians discussing whether or not to leave me when Lissa backed me up.

"Rose was his student. I think it would be wise for everyone to give him a moment," Lissa said.

"Alright, but only five minutes," the leader's booming voice echoed in the building.

Soon there were footsteps going out the door and then the door closed, silencing the room.

That was their first mistake.

I looked up and made sure none of them were in the building then grinned.

I jumped to my feet and ran to a nearby box, which had Rose's stake in a plastic bag on it. I took out the stake and held it up to my eyes.

"Ah, Roza," I sighed, then brought the stake to my lips and kissed the handle where her hand always touched.

_I'm coming, Roza _was my last thought before I ran at the back of the building to the exit door. Before opening it, something shiny. I looked back and gaped at what I was seeing. In-between the stacked boxes that hid the view of this beautiful truck.

It was a Hummer. A black one at that.

I looked at the entry and grinned, as there were big roller doors next to the exit that was thankfully unlocked. I opened them and inspected the area. No guardians.

Great.

I sprinted back to the Hummer and opened the driver's door, hopped in and found the key at my feet. The Hummer roared to life as I revved it a few times. Then I very badass-ally did a burn out as I drove the Hummer at top speed out of the building. Now this was the tricky part. I couldn't get out of the Court grounds unless I drove out of the front gates, which meant I'd be driving passed the guardians.

I looked to the left and was surprised to see that there was a dirt path that went through the forest that surrounded the Court.

_Or I could go that way_, I thought mischeivously.

Better than the other way I guess. I turned the hummer and drove in the direction of the path. When I was on it, it found that it was extremely bumpy. Well, I'm for a bit of a 4 wheel driving.

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday**

**I hope you like it :)**

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire7**


	6. Chapter 5: The new member of the coven

**PLEASE READ:**

**Hi everybuddi :)**

**Thank you SO MUCH for all these reviews! You all are awesome XD**

**I just wanted to say that I fixed my computer and thankfully my story wasn't deleted. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 4**

**Rose's POV**

I woke up and stared around me in wonder. I felt…different. And definitely in a bad way. Well, that's what I thought at first.

I groaned as I rubbed my ice-cold hands against my cold eyes. I froze. I slowly lifted up my hands and looked at them with surprise. They were pale. I looked down at my body and saw the same thing. I was completely pale. That came across to me as strange because I was sure that I wasn't this pale. I had a light tan.

And my vision…it was so much clearer than before. I had 20/20 vision before but this was like 100/100 vision. I could see the dust that was on top of the bookshelf on the right. There were faint glue stains on the back of the door that I wouldn't have seen if it weren't for my…wait, where was I?

The room was fairly big and had a fireplace across from me from the bed I was in. A wardrobe was to the left and it looked like there was a bathroom was next to it.

I narrowed my eyes and got out of bed. But you see, this was when I knew something was different about me. Because I not only got out of bed but at lightening speed.

I gasped.

"Whoa."

How'd I do that? I never moved that fast before, and if I did I'd get dizzy. No dizziness came to me.

I then had an idea. If I could move this fast then I'd be one of the fastest guardians in the world.

Yet, the term 'guardian' didn't sound right to me. As if it wasn't who I was. Who I am. Who I am meant to be.

It just doesn't feel right.

My confusion drifted away as I did I series of kicks in every direction. I had the same intense speed that I had before and what felt good was that I wasn't getting dizzy as I went that fast. It seemed…natural for me to be going that speed.

After more experimenting with my moves, I started to get thirsty. The thirst was burning my throat. I walked around the room, trying to find something to drink. I opened a door that was next to the bookcase and was surprised to see that I entered a large room with a beautiful spacious kitchen and in front of it was the dinning area, followed by the lounge room where another three people were in. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw them and quickly dashed back into my room, soundlessly, to find something to protect myself. A weapon or…or anything! And if I couldn't find anything then I'll just have to wing it.

I checked the wardrobe and found nothing, and then I was determined to make a stake out of the chair that had a computer sitting in front of it. I'd just snap one of its legs off. That should do the trick. But before I did that I checked the bathroom. I stood dead in my track when I saw my reflection. I gaped at my body from head to toe ending up staring wide-eyed at my eyes.

They were red. Blood red. What happened to my brown eyes? **(A/N: I couldn't remember what colour eyes she had so I guessed. Sorry if it's wrong :S) **And the pale skin? Since when…

And yet this appearance looks familiar. With the red eyes and pale skin…

I whispered, "I'm a-"

Just then the door to the room I was in opened. Only for a millisecond did I hesitate when a figure walked passed the bathroom door. My body was quick to act as I tackled the person. The figure was too large to be a woman so I presumed it was a man. I successfully made him stagger and fall to the ground. Without warning I got on top of him and strangled him. He struggled against me but it was no good. I was faster and stronger than him. As he started to make choking noises, the other two came in.

Brilliant.

"No, Rose! It's Simon! Stop it!" A girl yelled, trying to pull me off.

How'd she know my name? And Simon…. He sounded familiar.

"Rose!" she yelled again, managing to heave me off.

"Get off me," I growled when she wouldn't let go. We were both standing and struggling against each other, but immediately I stopped when I saw the other woman at the door.

Great, there were three of them and one of me. The one at the door…I couldn't really see her face because of the scarf around her head and she also turned her head away from me.

Once I stopped, the woman that took me off the man grabbed me firmly on the shoulders and made me look at her. She was a bit shorter than me but not by a lot.

Memories started coming back to me.

I knew her. Avery Lazar. The crazy bitch that was there that night. The night I was turned by her. I remember it perfectly, yet I wasn't angry with her for changing me. I was thankful which I surprised me.

Avery nodded, understanding my situation. "I know, Rose. You might feel a bit weird about what you've turned into now, but trust me. In a week you'll be a true Strigoi. It takes a short time to adjust to. But as soon as you have your first drink of blood, you'll become one of us," she grinned.

I nodded. Okay, I'll just have to adjust to feel normal again. Sounds cool **(A/N: Not really Rose)**.

"As you probably don't know, Simon was checking up on you but um, you kinda attacked him so yeah, Simon you're probably not going to be doing that any more," Avery laughed.

Simon snorted. "No argument there."

I turned around and smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

He just shrugged and playfully punched my shoulder, making us laugh.

"Oh, any this is a new member of the coven. We met her yesterday," Avery said. The woman by the door looked at Avery before stepping closer to me and pulling off her scarf, making her deep red hair flow around her.

When I saw her face I gasped.

"Ms Karp."

**LISSA'S POV **

I saw Dimitri drive out of the Court and almost chocked on my shocked gasp. I quickly went to the guardians that were guarding Dimitri and said in a rush, "I feel extremely sick so I'm going to go. Give him another few minutes before you go get him, ok?"

They nodded simply, bowed and then went back to patrolling the entrance.

Christian frowned. "What-"

"Let's go!" I whispered frantically to him and started running in the direction of the car park. I heard Mia call me back but I didn't listen to her. I knew what Dimitri was going to do and I knew that he'd kill himself after it. I couldn't let him kill Rose. I needed to get to him and the only way to catch up to him is to go now and find a faster car than a Hummer.

Adrian was now running on one side of me and Christian on the other. Mia was behind us.

"We need a car now," I said to Adrian.

"All I have is a Jeep," he said.

I scowled at him. "Got anything faster?"

"No. Dad's got my faster cars locked up but the Jeep's outside. Lissa, what's this all about?"

"Tell you when we get in the Jeep. Right now we have to get to Dimitri as fast as we can," I said, already puffed.

"What? But Dimitri's in the-"

"No, he isn't! He drove out of the building on the other side in a Hummer. He's going after Rose," I said through my teeth.

"What? He can't! He'll kill her!" Adrian protested.

"That's why we need to get in this Jeep and catch up to him! So where is it?" I said. So much for telling them in the Jeep. We already ran across the campus where the car park was and boy was I about to collapse.

"Right there," Adrian ran in front of us to unlock the Jeep and was about to jump into the driver's seat when I yelled at him.

"I'll drive!"

"But-"

"I don't have time to argue. You're either in the back or you're staying here," I jumped into the seat and turned the car on.

"Fine, I call shotgun," he said.

"Too late!" Christian laughed and dived for the seat, closing the door and locking it before Adrian could make it.

"I'm warning you-" Adrian started.

"Adrian, get in!" Mia screamed as she got in the back. I was tired of waiting so I put the car in gear and started to drive.

With a shout of aggravation, Adrian jumped into the back and closed the door behind him.

I drove out of the Court and drove at top speed down the road.

"He's got a head start but he would have to emerge onto the road again so we should see him soon," Mia said, holding on.

"Good point," Christian agreed.

I held the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles were going completely white.

"Okay, so Dimitri is going after Rose. Why?" Mia asked.

It then occurred to me that she didn't know about Dimitri and Rose. I knew I shouldn't have told her but it wasn't like she wasn't ever going to find out.

"Dimitri and Rose love each other," I said. It was also hard to say it because Adrian was in the car. He sat quietly trying to block out what I was saying.

"What?" Mia gasped. "But I thought he was her teacher."

"He is, and they fell in love. They promised each other that they'd kill the other if they were to turn Strigoi. Dimitri turned Strigoi and Rose went after him. He tried to turn her and she didn't want that. She thought she'd kill him but her stake didn't go in deep enough for him to die. She returned to be my guardian. He came back again for her and I saved him by stabbing him with a stake in his heart that brought him back to himself and now he's a dhampir. Now that Rose is a Strigoi, he's going after her and then he'll kill himself," I said, my voice breaking a few times.

"Why would he kill himself?"

"Because she's gone. He wouldn't live without her. He'd kill her and then kill himself. There's nothing to go back to when she's gone. He might come back and protect me but I doubt it now."

"I guess it makes sense," Mia said quietly.

I didn't respond to her but instead I looked towards the forest and shouted in joy. Everyone else looked towards where I was looking.

"There he is!" Christian shouted.

On the dirt road was Dimitri's Hummer. And thank goodness, he was pulled over. I did a very illegal thing and did a u-turn that almost flipped the Jeep.

"Careful!" Adrian retorted.

Shut up, I thought as I got of the highway and parked next to the Hummer.

I got out without turning the car off just as Dimitri got out of the Hummer. He ran towards me.

"What's going on?" he asked me.

"I'm not letting you kill Rose!' Adrian screamed furiously, getting out of the Jeep. He started at Dimitri and was about to punch him when Christian held him back.

"This hasn't got anything to do with you," Dimitri spat at him. Then turned to me. "Why'd you come here?"

"I want to help. I can save Rose," I said.

He narrowed his eyes. "What, you mean like what you did with me?" he asked.

"Yes. All I need is a stake."

"I have Rose's," he voice broke when he said her name. I bit my lip to make sure the tears that were about to spill wouldn't fall.

I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"That's great. Let's go find her," I said.

'Fine, but you three aren't coming," he said to the others.

"Hell no, we aren't going anywhere," Christian said.

"I'm going," Adrian growled.

"Please take us with you," Mia begged.

"I'm going up against Strigoi if I'm to find Rose. Lissa has to come. I can't protect all of you," he reasoned.

"It makes sense," I agreed.

"I can take care of myself," Adrian said defensively.

"I'll drop you off at the next bus station. You're not coming with us," Dimitri said finally, walking back towards the car.

"The least you can do is let us come with you, after all it is you and Lissa's fault that my girlfriend is a Strigoi now!" Adrian cried. Dimitri stopped dead in his tracks.

"What did you say to me?" Dimitri said dangerously low, not turning around.

I gulped. Oh, god.

He turned around slowly and looked at Adrian with hatred. I seriously thought he'd consider killing Adrian.

He walked slowly towards Adrian.

"That is why I'm doing this for her. It always my fault. It is my fault that she left the Court and now is Strigoi. It is my fault that she loves me. If I didn't let my feelings get the better of me, then she wouldn't be in this situation. But I can't ignore the fact that I love her. I will always love her and I wouldn't hesitate to go through any sort of pain so that Rose would be safe," Dimitri growled at Adrian.

"Yeah, well you're right about one thing: it was your fault. And another thing is that if I were in your position I'd fight till death to find out how to bring back Rose!" Adrian yelled.

"And would you change Strigoi to be with her? Being a Strigoi is the worst thing I had to go through but I'd change back into one if it was the only way for me to be with Rose! And there is not one damn thing a dhampir can do to bring back the people they were before they turned Strigoi! That's what I was going to do, before Lissa suggested a way in saving her. Would you do that, Adrian? Would you turn Strigoi if it was the only way to be with her? WELL, GUESS WHAT! I WOULD!" Dimitri shouted.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Hope you liked it. **

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	7. Chapter 7: You're a Strigoi

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 6**

**Lissa's POV**

Whoa.

I knew Dimitri and Rose were completely head over heels for each other but I never expected that he'd turn Strigoi to be with her. After he said that, he turned away and walked back to the Hummer and sat in the driver's seat with his head in his hands.

I turned to the rest of them and glared at them. Although I spoke softly my meaning was clear.

"He needs to do this."

"But Lissa-" Mia started. I raised my hand and she immediately stopped.

"I need you guys to help me," I said. Before Christian said anything I beat him to it. "By going back to the Court."

"See that's where you're wrong. I'm not going back," Adrian said sternly already walking up to the Hummer. Dimitri briefly lifted up his head just before Adrian opened the passenger door and locked the Hummer. Adrian looked at him with both rage and surprise.

"You better open this door before I seriously kiss your Russian ass," Adrian warned. Dimitri, being very gentlemen-like …not!, gave Adrian the finger. Which obviously made Adrian even angrier. As Adrian resumed with his threats and cussing at Dimitri I looked back at the other two and looked at them pleadingly.

"Come on. Please do this for me. Nothing will happen, I promise," I begged.

Christian shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Lissa but I can't. You're everything to me and if I lost you…I…I don't know what I'd do," his voice broke a few times.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes. I thought he lost faith in me and that he didn't want me any more, but what he just said really touched my heart. I didn't want to leave him behind but it wasn't like I could take him. I needed to know that he was safe. That's half of the reason that will keep me going. The other half is Rose.

"I'll update you every hour," I said quietly.

"I still can't let you go, Liss," he said, embracing me, making it even harder to say no. But in the end I had to say that enough was enough and that I just can't bring him.

I looked up at him and brought his face down to mine so that I could kiss him. I knew this would be the only kiss I'd get from him in a long time. I knew this mission we were going to go on wasn't going to take a day or so. As it is we have no idea- well I don't have any idea- where to start looking. I doubt Rose would be in this city or even in the country. For all I know she's probably in Alaska **(A/N: One of my favorite places in the world XD) **or Europe…or anywhere!

I had to find her. I just had to. Which is why I broke Christian's heart then and there. I let go of him and ran for the Hummer.

"NO!" Christian yelled, running after me.

I ran to the opposite side to where Adrian was, the driver's side and at that second Dimitri unlocked the door. I jumped in and locked it before Christian could wrench it open.

"Drive," I croaked out frantically.

Taking a deep breath Dimitri turned the Hummer on while Christian was banging on the window and was close to breaking it when Dimitri revved the car to life, put it in gear, and then sped along the highway leaving the three of them behind. I didn't look back. I was breathing heavily and had tears falling down my cheek when Dimitri spoke gently.

"Princess, you have no bond with Rose any more, I presume," he said.

I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. "No. Do you have any idea where we might find her?" I asked hopefully.

"No, Lissa. I have nothing," he sighed the last part, as if he had been defeated.

I laid down on the back seat hoping, begging that we'd soon get a lead to where Rose was.

**ROSE'S POV**

I couldn't believe it. There she was, standing in front of me and nearly as shocked as I was. I remember that she used to have a light tan, a bit lighter than mine was, but now…she was as pale as a ghost.

"Hello, Rose," her voice was gentle but seemed too cold to make me relax in the way she probably wanted. I shivered.

"Ms. Karp," I said stiffly again. She chuckled.

"Ah, Rose. Call me Sonya from now on," she said softly.

I couldn't respond. My reaction was probably normal for her because she probably ran into a lot of people that knew her. She assumably killed them afterwards.

I opened my mouth to say that I didn't understand what was going on here but I couldn't. I was frozen at the site of my old school teacher. And Tomas…Oh god, poor Tomas.

"I…I…" I still couldn't talk.

Ms. Kar- uh Sonya looked at me with cold pity. The face of a Strigoi can't show any sort of pity or sadness fully. It was impossible because there was always that hint of coldness that touched every emotion that the Strigoi put on show.

Yet, they have the ability to look exactly what they looked like before, not including the red eyes. I know from experience when Dimitri was Strigoi.

Dimitri…

I rubbed the side of my face. He'd take the news of me being 'dead' the worst. Then it would be Lissa. Then Adrian. No one loved me more than Dimitri, even Lissa. Although they came close.

The bond that I shared with Lissa has shattered. But it doesn't matter. Because I wouldn't really remember them after I have my first drink of blood. They'll all be a fantasy and if I'm lucky I'll still remember them just as Dimitri remembered me.

I flinched as Avery walked to the door at Strigoi speed. Just like what I did before.

No matter what happens now I am destined to be a Strigoi. The down side to this was that Dimitri will come after me and he'll bring along Lissa so that she can save me endangering both of their lives. And then I'd go back to being a guardian like before, maybe. Everything will eventually turn out right.

The question was do I want to go back now?

But it wouldn't be that simple, because as I stared up at Sonya I knew she'd protect me. I knew she would look after me. I already foresaw it all. I have taken it into account that Avery and I will get along much better when I completely turn. I'll get so close to the members of this coven that when and if Lissa saves me then I wouldn't want to go back. Ever.

"Time to feed," Avery said.

I walked stiffly behind her as she led us to the door.

"Wait, we need to cover up," Sonya said. I wasn't sure what she meant but as she made her way quickly to another room and brought back a huge container, I assumed she was referring to eye contacts.

"To get to the Moroi we need to give ourselves a disguise. The first thing guardians look out for is skin colour and for the red eyes. Wearing contacts is a good disguise and has worked in every other time we feed," Sonya said.

As she opened the container I saw that there was a vast amount of contacts in there. Blues and greens, purples even. And with the exception of red contacts which amused me.

I ended up choosing a dark shade of blue to cover up the red, which successfully did the job. Wigs weren't necessary but clothing was. I had to wear a long sleeved blouse and jeans that covered as much of my body up as possible.

We were to 'pretend' to be dhampirs. Avery said that in town there was a popular club where Moroi's like to hang out. Apparently we were still in Montana. Sonya didn't want to leave the state until I was a complete Strigoi.

So here we are, driving in a silver BMW.

Avery touched my hand softly.

"Go after the Moroi men," she said.

My eyes went wide. "What? You'd think I'd go for the ladies? Sorry but I'm not a lesbian," I said, making Simon laugh.

"I mean it," she laughed. " It's easier to get the Moroi men to follow you to a room because they are gullible. And because you're beautiful they'll be all over you. All you have to do is seduce them then get them upstairs to someplace private, drink form them then kill them, then meet us back at the entrance."

"Easy peasy," I said sarcastically.

"It sure is," Sonya grinned, showing her fangs.

Once we arrived, I started to get nervous. I mean, I'm about to kill an innocent Moroi, who did nothing to me.

"Don't think about it. Once you taste the blood you'll feel no regret," Sonya advised me before I made an entrance.

Ah, crap.

There were Moroi _everywhere_ along with their guardians. Dancing, singing, playing pool…they were just everywhere.

And their blood smelled delicious. Dhampir blood would never really satisfy a Strigoi but Moroi blood…the smell was intoxicating. I could barely contain myself as a male Moroi walked passed me looking me up and down. Easy prey, I thought. I tried to smile flirtatiously at him before he took his eyes off me without putting my fangs on display. From his expression it worked, because he stopped and grinned back at me. He looked one or two years older than me and was actually good looking. He had dark green eyes and unbelievably long black hair that ended just above his shoulders.

His guardian was on his tail in a second and asked what's wrong. Instead of answering the Moroi asked for him to go get him a drink.

Dismissing his guardian was his second mistake. The first was setting his eyes on me.

"Hey," I purred moving closer to him. This was going to be easier than I thought.

We weren't on the dance floor but there were still a fair amount of people around us.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before. You new to Montana baby girl?" he asked, moving so close that we were almost touching. I didn't flinch as I thought I would, because I remember how Dimitri used to-

Stop thinking at Dimitri! There's no use, he can't help me now, I thought angrily.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm new. Maybe you could show me around," I said trailing off as I played with the top button on his long sleeved shirt. He shivered at my touch. I grinned triumphally and walked passed him slowly, making sure that my hip bumped his, and grabbed his hand. I started to pull him in the direction of the upstairs rooms. The stairs weren't vacant by people who were making out to my relief so I had no trouble climbing the stairs. I assumed he understood where I was leading him to and he quickly made it to the top of the stairs before me. At the top there was a short corridor that had three rooms on each side. The Moroi, whom I didn't have a clue what his name was, opened up the first door on the left and pulled me to him.

The room only had a bed in there. After he closed the door, that's when the disgusting stuff started to happen. His hands were all over me. It started with kissing then the urgency of taking my clothes off. _Gross_. He started to rip off my blouse and was fumbling with my belt when I asked him a question.

"What's your name?" I asked.

He stopped for only one minute then grinned. "Scott. And what's yours?"

I grinned showing my fangs. He gasped, surprised I guess, because I didn't exactly look 'Moroi material'. The slow seductive smile leaped back unto his face.

"You're a Moroi too huh? Are you royal?" he asked.

"I'll answer your first question which will probably answer your second question. I'm Rose Hathaway. Heard of me?"

He frowned. "Who hasn't? You're one of the best guardians for your age-"

He stopped talking then and his eyes went wide.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"If you're a guardian then why do you have fangs?" he said, and started to back away. I rolled my eyes. About time he caught on.

"You Moroi are so gullible," I laughed cruelly. I turned away from him and took the contacts out carefully. I blinked a few times letting my sight go back to normal then turned back to him.

"Boo," I said.

Before he screamed I jumped on him and snapped his neck. His body went limp. I leaned down and drained all the blood. I couldn't help but close my eyes at the taste of the warm fluid. The instant the blood touched my tongue I became wild. I started to forget things. Important things like the Dragomir princess…what's her name… Lissa, was it? Oh well, I don't care. And the other people I used to hang out with. All of them seemed distant now.

I drank the Moroi all up and wiped my mouth when I was done. I vaguely remembered that I had to wear contacts to disguise myself.

I put my blouse back on and then walked out of the room after putting the contacts in. I walked down the steps then ran into a guardian.

"Oh sorry," I said, not meaning it at all.

He looked at me and I hazily remembered him. Wasn't he the Moroi's guardian that I just drank from?

"No problem. Would you happen to know where Scott is?" he said nervously. Bad boy, I thought. You seriously shouldn't have let your Moroi go.

I licked my lips and smiled up at him. "Go upstairs and on the first door on the right. He's just fixing himself up. Tell him that I said that he tasted delicious," I grinned then walked away but not without seeing his expression. From his expression he thought I was a blood whore. Well, he was in for a bit of a surprise then.

I quickly left the club but not without hearing a scream from upstairs. Gee I wonder who that could be, I laughed at the thought.

"So did you have fun?" a girl asked who was leaning against a BMW at the font of the club. Avery.

I grinned.

"He and his guardian were both screamers," I snickered. "But unfortunately the Moroi didn't get to scream his last scream."

"You didn't leave the guardian for dessert?" she asked mockingly.

"Well let's just say that he was busy while I was killing his Moroi," I chuckled as I got in the car.

Sonya turned back to me. "All better?"

I nodded. "I guess I'm a true Strigoi now?" I asked.

"Do you regret killing the Moroi?" Simon asked.

"Nope."

"Then you're a Strigoi," he answered matter-of-factly.

**Sorry I haven't updated for a few days :S**

**Please review :)**

**Littlewerepire71**

**xoxox**


	8. Chapter 8: Victor

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 8  
**

**Dimitri's POV**

I've been dreading this day would come when I'd call my family and tell them that I was no longer Strigoi. I knew I had to do it one way or another but before I go on this search mission for Rose I needed to say goodbye, because I feared I'd be changing Strigoi again. But that's the worst case so I tried to block in out of my mind.

We were pulled over on the side of the highway. The sun was shinning so I didn't have trouble with searching the place for Strigoi, but I was still cautious. Lissa was in the car and was leaning her head against the passenger seat with her eyes closed, while I was outside not too far from the Hummer.

I quickly dialed home and lifted the mobile to my ear. The phone rang three times before it was picked it.

"Privyet. Olena speaking," my mother's voice rang through my ears. **(A/N: For those who don't know, privyet is hello in Russian. I know it's kinda obvious but I just wanted everyone to know) **

I closed my eyes briefly as I remembered her, beautiful as always. God, how much I missed her. Her and my family.

"Mum," I sighed. I was biting back my tears as I heard her gasp.

"Dimka? Is that you?" she asked anxiously.

I sighed heavily and tried to answer in the most composed voice I could master up.

"Yes, mum. It's me."

"But that can't be…you're Strigoi," she sobbed. Oh god. Before I could contain it a tear fell down my cheek.

"I got rescued, mum. I'm me again."

She sobbed on the phone and I could hear Karolina's scared voice trying to soothe her and trying to ask her what's wrong.

"Mum, put me on loudspeaker," I advised so that not only could my sister hear me but also so I could hear her. My mother let out another sob before she pressed the button so now I could hear everything.

"Who is this?" Karolina demanded.

"It's your brother," I whispered.

There was silence. I heard her intake of breath.

"Hey what's going on? Mama! What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Viktoria exclaimed.

Viktoria. I sighed again. Now all was left was my grandmother and Sonya.

"Hey, I'm back! Sorry I took so long. I had to work late because there were too many customers and we were short staffed and…what's happened? Why is mum crying?" Sonya's voice interrupted.

"Olena, sweetheart, what's the matter?" My grandmother asked. Great, the whole family is here. I smiled softly as more tears spilled from my eyes.

As I sniffed, the family stopped asking what was wrong with Mum.

"Hello?" Viktoria said. "Who are you?"

I blinked back the tears and tried to make it obvious that I wasn't crying. But my voice was hoarse from all the tears.

"I called to tell you all that I'm fine. It's Dimitri. I know you all are confused but just let me explain," I explicated.

Sonya gasped while Viktoria cried out with joy as I could hear my grandmother, along with my mother, crying.

"Grandma, Mama don't cry, please," I pleaded.

"I'm just so happy that you're alive," Mum sobbed.

"I don't understand. Rose said that you turned Strigoi," Karolina said although I could hear in her voice that she was happy to hear me and also was crying.

"Moroi have powers. And it's very rare for them to be born with the affinity for Spirit. The Dragomir princess charmed a stake with spirit and stabbed me several times with it…well until it got me in the heart when I was a Strigoi. It turned me back. We've found a way to cure Strigoi and Rose…" I didn't finish because by that one word, by her name I couldn't hold back my sobbing any more. I fell to my knees and cried out all my pain. I wanted comfort. Not just by anyone. I wanted and needed to be comforted by _Roza_.

"Shhh, Dimka, shhh," my mother soothed.

"What did Rose do?" My grandmother asked gently.

"Rose and Lissa saved me. I'm no longer Strigoi, but now…. The guardians returned me to the Court, you know where the queen lives, well I was put in prison, because the queen wasn't sure I was purely me again. I didn't want to see Rose. I've put her through so many horrible things when I was Strigoi. I couldn't see her. And when she was protecting me, when I was questioned…she helped people and encouraged them to believe I was no longer Strigoi. But after my questioning I still pushed her away. Now she's…" I let out another sob.

"Go on, Dimitri," Viktoria said softly.

"I…She's now a Strigoi," they all gasped in horror. "She left the Court because she was hurt and it's all my fault. I need to save her. I have to," I said.

Sonya said sternly, "Do not blame yourself, Dimka. Don't blame anyone. Rose is now dead. So try to forget about her. "

"Sonya!" Mum chastised.

"I will not think of her as dead. She's not-" I started.

"She might as well be. I never liked her," Sonya spat.

"Yeah, well I never like Rolan Kislyak but you still went along with him and now what Sonya? You got pregnant and now you're stuck with a baby that the father couldn't care less about!" I shouted.

Viktoria gasped.

"You slept with my ex?" she shouted.

"You're ex? The one who you've have it bad for? Technically he is my ex and it's none of your business, Dimka!" exclaimed Sonya.

"You're my sister. You're my business whether you like it or not," I growled.

"Enough," Mum said severely. "We aren't here to fight. Your brother has called us to tell us he's ok. And you going on about how you dislike the one he loves is obviously upsetting him. Have some respect, Sonya."

Sonya kept her mouth shut.

"Do you have any idea on where she might be?" Karolina asked.

"No," I sighed. "I thought about it, but by now the Strigoi they might have gotten her must have realized my change and moved elsewhere which does make this situation difficult."

"Then how are you going to search for her?" Mum asked.

"By talking with her father. You know Abe Mazur. He has contacts everywhere."

"Be careful. He's a dangerous man, Dimka," Mum advised.

I nodded, although she wouldn't see. "I will. Now I will contact you soon. Maybe. It depends how busy I am. But I just wanted to tell all of you that I love you and to not rush to conclusions when it comes to my fate. I'm going to find Rose if it's the last thing I do," I promised.

"I know you will, Dimka. I love you," Mum answered getting all teary again.

"Be safe. All of you."

And with that I hung up just before a Toyota crashed into the back of the Hummer. My eyes widened in horror. The phone dropped to the ground. I ran to the Hummer and wrenched the passenger door open to find Lissa bleeding from hitting the dashboard and hard. But there wasn't a lot of blood. Blood was sliding down her face from the left side of her forehead.

"I'm okay," she said, grabbing tissues in the back and wiping up the blood. "Seriously, I'm ok. What the hell just happened?"

She didn't look like she was in intense pain but she did keep the tissue up to her forehead.

"Can you walk?" I asked. She nodded and jumped out of the Hummer.

I looked at the driver in the other car. There was also another person with him. I couldn't see them really well. They were both out of the car in an instant.

"Robert, you idiot! Look what you've done to not only our car but someone else's car!" a man that sounded extremely familiar yelled. I ran at the back of my car with rage.

"What the hell do you think you're-" I stopped mid-sentence when I saw who the person who spoke was. Lissa came up from behind me and gasped.

"Victor," she breathed shakily.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger but you guys should know me enough to know that at the end of most of my chapters in my stories I leave cliff hangers haha**

**Anyway I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**Hope you liked it**

**Please Review :)**

**Littlewerepire7**


	9. Chapter 9: Hello Adrian

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 9**

**Lissa's POV**

"How did you-" Dimitri started but I interrupted.

"You morons! We set you free and you ran away like cowards!" I yelled at them.

They kept looking from Dimitri to me. I assumed they were trying to negotiate with each other to run but not with Dimitri watching their every move.

"Wait. What?" Dimitri asked me without leaving his sight on them.

Oh crap. Me and my dumbass mouth. I opened my mouth to explain but Robert cut me off.

"The princess and Rose and another boy helped Victor to escape so that he could lead them to me," Robert said wearily.

"Why?" Dimitri demanded.

"Because they needed to bring back this Strigoi Rose loved apparently. By the way how'd it go?" he asked me.

"I don't know, why don't you look for yourself," I said sarcastically.

Robert frowned. I then noticed that Victor hadn't said a word and was staring at Dimitri with weary eyes.

"I was the Strigoi," Dimitri growled. "Now give me a reason why I shouldn't send you back to that prison," he spat at Victor.

Victor sighed but ignored his question. He looked at me with understanding eyes. "You lost Rose didn't you?"

"That's none of your business," I growled.

"I know where she is," Robert said.

"Bullshit! And you seriously think that we believe you?" I yelled at them. I was shaking with angry and anxiety. How could they have seen Rose? That's not possible.

"I saw her in getting in a BMW. I just wanted to say that if you are going to save her you need to do it quickly. And we are willing to negotiate with you in finding her in exchange of not putting Victor in prison again," Robert said calmly.

"Who said I wanted to negotiate with you?" Dimitri asked.

"Do you want to get Rose back or not?" Victor sighed.

I could see a million things running through Dimitri's eyes at the moment. Determination, fear, anger, sadness and…loneliness. He needed Rose back and he was willing to do anything to get to her, so I thought he was considering it.

At the end he nodded.

" You haven't damaged the Hummer that much. I'll drive. Victor, you're in the passenger seat. Robert in the back with Lissa. You touch her and I won't hesitate in putting my stake through your neck, understand?" he barked.

I stiffly sat near Robert, keeping me eyes straight on Victor's back. I wasn't happy that they were with us but now what? We don't know where Rose is and they are the only solution in finding her.

"Was there anyone with her?" I asked.

"Yes, three people. One of them was the Lazar's daughter herself and her guardian. And…Ms. Karp," Victor stuttered.

My body froze.

"Ms. Karp was with her?" I squeaked. "Avery? How did she…of course," I whispered, finally getting it. You become a Strigoi by drinking all the blood from a dhampir, Moroi or a human body. That was what I presumed she did. Simon as well. Maybe she wasn't as crazy now. Highly doubtful though.

"I'm a good tracker. Where did you see her last?" Dimitri asked.

"Near a club. I'm give you the directions," Victor said.

**…...**

**…...**

**…...**

When night came we reached our destination and while Victor, Robert and I watched Dimitri go to work, I had a sudden urge to run back to the Court, but I told myself to stay strong.

You can do this, I thought. You can do this.

**ROSE'S POV**

"Rose?" Avery called. I was lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling when she came in. I looked up at rolled my eyes.

She had decapitated a human's head from its body and was swinging it with her hand.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"To scare the living shit out of three Moroi's," she grinned dangerously.

"There are Moroi here and you didn't tell me?" I demanded.

"Don't get your panties in a knot, Rose. They're in the spare room tied up. Go have a snack if you want," she teased. I pushed passed her and stormed into the spare room. I scanned the room and saw the three Moroi. They all were tied up and two of them didn't have a blindfold. There were two boys and one girl. The girl and the boy that didn't have their eyes covered gasped when they saw me. I paid them no attention. All I looked at was the one with the blindfold. They'd be next anyway. I was curious to find out why he was wearing it and the others weren't. I walked up to him and crouched down in front of him. I took the blindfold off and was mesmerized by what I saw.

His eyes were a deep green and his brown hair was messy but in a way that is styled.

I caressed his cheek and grinned showing him my fangs. His eyes were wide and his mouth made an 'O' shape.

"Hello, Adrian."

**A/N: Another cliffy hahaha**

**Please review :D**

**Littlewerepire7**


	10. Chapter 10: Dimitri

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 10**

**Rose's POV**

"Rose!" Mia shouted out in alarm. I lazily turned and looked at her.

Yeah, their names came back to me. Christian was here as well. He was speechless for once and didn't bother adding any irritating comments, which was to my relief.

Adrian was trying to keep himself calm but it wasn't working. Sooner or later he's going to explode. From sadness or from anger, I had no idea.

"Hey, Avery!" I called through the closed door.

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to eat them or are we going to keep them as feeders?"

Avery walked in and shrugged. "I don't know, but Rose, Sonya found five other Strigoi and they're coming here! They're joining our coven!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down.

I grinned and my eyes brightened up. "Are they all girls or-"

"No, there are two girls and three guys."

"That's good," I nodded.

"It makes us nine now. Sonya, you, me and Simon plus them! Now we can seriously hunt down Moroi," she eyed the three Moroi in the room.

"No matter how many Strigoi you manage to master up, you'll never make it to-"

Avery slapped Mia before she continued. Christian cried out while Mia went limp in the chair. I sighed then frowned.

"Did you kill her?"

"No. But if she doesn't shut up I'll have her for dessert," Avery said then stormed out of the room slamming the door behind her.

I walked over to Mia and grabbed her wrist and felt her pulse. Good, Avery was telling the truth but when Mia wakes up sees going to wake up to a bruised face. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

"Rose?" Adrian said. My body froze. He didn't say it in a sigh or a sob, but as a whimper. Since when does he whimper? I looked over at him and suppressed my sigh when he looked up at me, heartbroken. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to hear it, see it, feel it…nothing. I didn't want his sympathy and I didn't want anything to do with him. Nor Mia or Lissa or any of my old friends. Any especially Dimitri. He wasn't Strigoi any more and I wanted him to live a normal life. Even if he got together with Tasha I would be happy.

I turned away and refused to look at him. Instead I sat on the bed that was roughly pushed over to the wall where the window was.

"How did you get here?' I asked.

"We were driving down the highway, trying to find out where Lissa and Dimitri went. We pulled over to look at a map and that's how Avery and Simon found us. They didn't bite us or anything then took us in here, tied us up and then put Adrian in a blindfold because he yelled at them. They were considering putting sticky tape over his mouth," Christian said wearily.

I raised an eyebrow. They were trying to find Lissa and Dimitri? Great. They are trying to find me. Not good.

Avery knew I knew them and she brought them here to see if I was strong enough to kill them. Boy was she wrong. I wanted to drink from them so bad. They smelt so good but I refrained from doing so.

"Just behave," I said then walked towards the door. The conversation was over. I had nothing else to say. As I shut the door I felt eyes on me and looked up to see Avery, Simon and Sonya looking at me. Next to Sonya were five other Strigoi who were also staring up at me. They were the new members. I walked next to Avery. She was trying to not to bounce in excitement. Simon just stood there, looking at the Strigoi.

"Nice of you to join us, Rose," Sonya said, grinning at me. I nodded and tossed her a smile of my own.

"These are the new members of our coven. This is Aleena," she said used her hand in a polite gesture for us to see which was which. The girl she gestured at was beautiful. Not much older than me. Her long wavy blonde hair was a bit filthy and her red eyes were a dark red meaning she hasn't drank any blood for more than a couple of days. I nodded my hello to her, while Avery put her hand out and Aleena shook it.

"This is Max," Sonya said. The guy, probably a year older than me, had dirty blonde hair that finished before it reached his shoulders. He never took his eyes of me, even when he shook Avery's hand. That isn't a good sign.

"And Jade." Jade looked more of the quiet type. She looked as if she didn't mess with anyone's business and intended that they don't mess with hers. She had black hair that was so black that it almost looked blue. She looked twenty. Maybe older.

"And Ray and Owen. They're cousins."

Unlike Owen, Ray had black hair that went to his shoulder, whereas Owen's was short and he had a side fringe. Both were pretty tall.

"As you all know, I'm Sonya. This is Avery, Simon and Rose. Rose is our newest addition," she chuckled at the term she used. "We are all completed Strigoi, and I've noticed you five are too. Why don't you tell a bit about yourselves," Sonya suggested.

"Sure," Ray agreed.

We made our way to the lounge room and sat on the couches. Avery sat next to me, with Simon next to her. Sonya remained in the one-seated couch and the others spread themselves out among the two remaining couches.

Ray started off.

"Owen and I just finished school and were working on being mechanics," he started.

"Were you Moroi, Dhampir or human?" I asked.

"We were Dhampirs," he nodded, looking at me. I grinned.

"I was too," I said.

"Most of them were Dhampirs," Sonya noted. I nodded.

"And we were going to open up our personal shop. We had no intention on being guardians. One night we went for a run and got attacked. We were left in the streets and driven mad until we attacked a human a day later. We've been on our own for two years," he said.

"Moving from cities to cities, and then we met you," Owen said, smiling at Sonya. "You were about to attack us," he laughed.

She laughed in return.

"No love life?" Avery teased.

Ray laughed. "I used to be in love with a Moroi named Paige. She wasn't royal but she already had a guardian assigned to her. If she didn't have a guardian then that would have changed my life. I'd be her guardian now. Thank god I'm not one," Ray said.

"I used to have a girl but she left me for a dumbass. She came to me two days after she left me and said he dumped her. And that she wanted me again. I was going to forgive her but that was the day I got changed," Owen shrugged.

Sonya turned to the next one. "Jade?"

She took a deep breath and started. "I was looking forward to be a model for this popular company. I was a Moroi so I could do whatever I wanted, not like my other Dhampir friends. They grew jealous of me and started to distance themselves away from me. I got pissed and drove off to my boyfriend's house that night and I got attacked instead. Same with Ray and Owen, they left me there. I got changed two weeks ago. I ran into Sonya the other day, begging for her to take care of me and here I am," she grinned softly at Sonya.

"Aleena?" Sonya asked.

"I was out clubbing with my friends. I was a Dhampir and I was celebrating my last night before I'd be assigned to a royal Moroi. We booked a hotel room and went off to bed. Little did I know that there was a Strigoi in the room. I was the last one to go inside. There were five of us. He drank from my friends but stopped at me. Instead he turned me. I have been Strigoi for five months. He took care of me and then we started to really like each other. A gang of Dhampirs chased us one night. He took of one direction and I in the other. I ran into Sonya and we fought off the Dhampirs together. We looked all night for him but we couldn't find him," she said.

"It's ok dear. We'll find him," Sonya said. "And lastly Max."

"I used to be a non-royal Moroi. I've been Strigoi for three months. I haven't joined any other Strigoi covens so this is my first time. I've been secretly killing Moroi whenever I could. No love life either," he cracked a smile.

"We better find you a girl then," Simon said.

Max grinned; his eyes quickly went to mine then back to Sonya.

After Sonya told everyone what happened to her, Avery and Simon told there's. I've already heard it so I just tuned out. When it was my turn I took a deep breath then let it all out.

"I died," I said very seriously that Avery chuckled.

"What?" Aleena gasped.

"I died when I was a guardian. I'm not kidding. I used to be shadow-kissed so I could actually see ghosts. I had in in-built tracking device so I could sense when the dead were near. It's a shadow-kissed thing. Which was useful so I knew when Strigoi were near me," I grinned.

"My best friend Lissa Dragomir was the one who saved me because she was a spirit user. She brought me back alive from having died in a car accident that took the lives of her brother, mother and father. So I used to have a bound with her. I've killed so many Strigoi that I've lost count, so they gave me a special mark," I showed them.

"Whoa," Ray breathed.

"That's mad stuff," Owen agreed.

"Yeah," I agreed. "That's about it."

"Nah uh. What about Dimitri?" Avery winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm over him." Liar.

"Rose fell in love with her teacher," Avery said dreamily.

"Dimitri Belikov?" Sonya gasped.

"Uh…yeah," I admitted shyly.

"You and him are in love," Avery said excited.

My expression hardened. Strigoi mode kicked in.

"No. I'm not. I need to move on. It's best if he doesn't see me again," I said coldly.

"Rose…" Avery started.

"No, Avery. I can't be with him. So I suggest we move somewhere else because I know for a fact that he's going to come here," I said. I didn't have anything else to say so I walked over to the door and slammed it behind me. I ran out of the building and looked out for food.

I sprinted down an alleyway that wasn't too far from the apartment. I knew homeless people lived around here so I'll just have to settle for a human tonight.

As I walking down the gloomily path I saw a person frantically eating anything she could from a rubbish bin. Gross. I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away. She screamed out and I was tempted to punch her.

"Shut up," I growled.

She fell on the ground and was crawling backwards away from me. I grabbed her by the neck and lifted her high, crashing her head on the brick wall of the building. She was crying, begging me to let her go. I snarled and was getting ready to puncture her throat when something caught my attention.

"Rose!"

I froze.

No. No, it couldn't be.

I released my hold on her, and she fell to the ground. Not a moment later she ran for her life out of the alleyway.

I turned around slowly and looked at them. There were four of them. One Dhampir, three Moroi.

The Dhampir stepped in the light a bit more so I could see his face a bit clearly. But I already knew who it was.

Dimitri.

**A/N: Hiya everybuddi :)**

**Hope you liked it **

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire7**


	11. Chapter 11: RUN!…Oh wait, DRIVE!

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 11**

**Dimitri's POV**

I looked at the tire marks on the road in front of the club and narrowed in thought. Something had happened here last night. Something bad and I was certain that Rose had something to do with it. There were burn out tracks that were made from a car that was in a hurry to get away. I considered that if Rose was in a hurry she'd do this, the tire marks would lead us to the car, which will determine where Rose was. But that was horrible evidence that could lead us to a destination that we had no intention of going to.

"A Moroi was killed at this club last night. It's been all of the radio," Robert said. Victor nodded in agreement.

I looked back at them, then Lissa.

She was having a hard time to relax. I knew she was going to have a hard time accepting that Rose is Strigoi. God, I still refuse to believe that she's one of them. It's one of those cases where I'll believe it when I see it, but I fear that I'll loose control when I see her…with blood red eyes, pale skin, and worst of all…she won't be my Roza…

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tightly. When I reopened them, I was beginning to feel tired. I pushed that feeling away and concentrated on Lissa and the brothers.

"I have a hunch that these tire markings will lead us to her," I said. "So we follow them."

"Well, at least we have a plan," Victor sighed.

I nodded in agreement. It felt good to have a plan.

Once we got into the car, I drove slower than I usually did to look out for the marks. The road before me went for ages and I assumed they'd turned off at some point. We got deeper and deeper into the city and still couldn't identify the markings.

"Maybe they didn't-" Lissa started.

"There," Robert pointed.

He was right. There was burn out marks that led into an alleyway. I turned into the gloomy place and slowly turned the Hummer off. Before we all got out, I turned to them.

"Whatever happens from now on in, you have to overcome your fear. There will be Strigoi. And there's only one of me. But I have something that Rose might have which is back up. Rose might have a group, probably five Strigoi with her. I've contacted Alberta and she's already on her way with at least fifty guardians. If something happens to me, run for the Hummer. Get in and drive. Don't wait for me. I know Rose. She wouldn't let the other Strigoi kill me. She would do what I did to her," I said seriously.

"Which was?" Robert asked.

"Keep her as a prisoner."

**ROSE'S POV**

I narrowed my eyes at him. Although Dimitri was in front, Lissa was just behind him but was to the side so I could see her. Her eyes were wide and she gaped at me. What actually made me grin was that Victor and Robert were with them too.

I stepped forward, and Dimitri mirrored my move. I blinked, and then put my hands on my hips comfortably.

"I thought you were all about keeping the Moroi safe. You aren't doing a good job," I said lazily to him.

I could tell that he was trying to control his feelings, but every so often I saw sadness flash through his eyes.

When he didn't respond I sighed.

"You know, it was really unnecessary to bring the Dragomir princess, Dimitri. Did it occur to you that she's the only Dragomir left? Did you not realize how easy it is to kill her?"

Dimitri took another step forward.

"You wouldn't be able to kill her, Rose," Dimitri said.

I chuckled.

"I wasn't talking about me."

Sonya leaped off the building wall and landed next to me gracefully. I heard she was coming. I could also sense her as well.

Sonya regarded Dimitri and Lissa as if they were food, but was polite enough to not let them know that.

"They troubling you, Rose?" she asked.

I laughed. "No."

"Because if they mess with you, they mess with me," she said sternly.

"A bit of an exaggeration don't you think, Sonya?" Alberta asked.

Both of our heads whipped in the direction of her voice. How had we not seen or smelt her? Behind Dimitri there were at least twenty guardians that suddenly appeared. I looked behind me to find thirty.

Shit. They had us surrounded.

There were Moroi with them as well. The Moroi's that have fire as their element. They were extremely useful to have when it came to killing Strigoi. The Moroi's had guns in their hands.

"Don't shoot!" Lissa yelled. Alberta put a hand on her shoulder.

'We won't. That's for the Moroi's protection. A bullet can't kill a Strigoi," she said. Lissa still eyed them wearily. Alberta turned to me, her eyed hardened, trying not to remember what I used to look like, and was slowly making her way towards me.

My mother was with them as well. She was behind Alberta; unable to believe I was Strigoi.

An idea came to me.

I cleared my throat and turned my body sideward so that I could see when the guardians would attack from both sides.

"If you attack us, them we'll kill the Moroi we captured," I warned.

Alberta stopped in her tracks.

I smiled in triumph.

"We are keeping two royal Moroi and one non-royal Moroi. If you ever want to see them again then leave now."

"Rose…"Sonya started.

"Three Moroi isn't a lot to loose. There's plenty more," I grinned.

She shook her head, clearly amused.

"Who have you captured?" Victor asked.

I looked at Lissa and Dimitri.

"The three Moroi's that you two left behind," I grinned.

"Christian? You took Christian…how…how could you do that to me!" Lissa gasped.

"Do I look like Rosemarie Hathaway, the badass guardian any more? Well, I'm still a badass I guess," I shrugged.

"Some things never change," Sonya laughed.

"Enough! Rose, fine I agree. Give us back the Moroi's and you can go free," Alberta said.

Sonya and I exchanged looks. I knew it was a big thing to consider that they would let us go. There was a possibility that is it was a trap. They'll kill us, because that's just what they do. They're guardians and their job is to kill and protect.

I nodded to Sonya. She pulled her phone out, dialed a number than brought the phone to her ear.

"Avery, bring the three Moroi. We are three blocks away from you. Bring everyone," she said then hung up.

As we waited I started to get that holy-shit-Dimitri-is-not-ten-meters-away-from-me feeling. I looked over at him and was surprised to see that he couldn't look away from me. His mouth was in a firm line and his face was hard but his eyes were soft. As if he couldn't help but still love me. That was something that I still had but refused to believe it. I know I still loved him but…it was different now.

Avery laughter was the thing that brought me back to my senses. She and the others had grabbed the Moroi and were walking towards us. Ray playfully faked biting Mia and then laughed when she screamed out in fear. He made his way over to me and stood next to me.

"Having fun?" he asked, looking at all the guardians.

I nodded. "Yep."

"Think they overdid the amount of guardians they brought," Owen said distastefully.

"I reckon," Max muttered as he stood by us.

Avery pushed Mia towards my mother and my mother had a second to react and neatly caught Mia. Mia was sobbing into her shoulder. Next was Christian. He ran to Lissa without getting pushed by Avery and stood in front of her protectively. Adrian regarded Avery with hatred as he walked over and stood next to Lissa.

"There," Avery spat. "You got you're Moroi," she said to Alberta.

Sonya stared at Alberta and narrowed her eyes. "Now you it's your turn to uphold our arrangement. We go free."

"Of course," Alberta said stiffly.

I knew it was a trap so I already had a back up plan. I knew what Avery was going to do before she did it and I knew how Christian would react. Avery, like what Ray did, walked over near Lissa and faked biting her to frighten her. Ofcourse she got nowhere near Lissa because Christian sent a wave of fire at Avery. She shrieked and dropped to the ground and had her hands over her eyes, still screaming. Sonya raced over to her and growled at Christian.

"Do you dare touch him!' Alberta yelled. Sonya's eyes darted in her direction.

"He hurt a member of my coven!"

"And he'll do it again if any of you hurt us. Now off with you!" Alberta screamed, daring Sonya to attack again. I knew it would end badly if they fought so Sonya just sighed, helped Avery up while soothing her as Avery cried out in pain. The others followed her away from the guardians. The guardians opposite to Dimitri let them pass and were wearily watching me. Before Sonya left, she winked at me and gave me permission for what I was about to do. Once Sonya and the others turned the corner of the building I walked to the start of the path, which the other guardians made. I looked at Dimitri for one last time and grinned sweetly.

"Let this be a warning to you," I looked at Christian. "All of you." Then my eyes went back to Dimitri's. "If you touch a member of my coven again, there will be consequences. Worse than this," I ran at lightening speed at a nearby guardian and decapitated his head. His body went limp and fell onto the ground.

Before anyone could react, I ran down the path at top speed and ran for my life away from the guardians and bolted around the corner of the building only to be surrounded by more guardians. My eyes widened.

"Grab her!" Alberta yelled as she and Dimitri, followed by the others, turned the corner and saw me.

"Ah shit," I muttered.

I dodged the guardians in front and ran down the street. They tried to trap me by surrounding me again like they did in the alleyway. I growled and took off to my left down another alleyway. Up ahead I saw Sonya and the others get into the BMW. There was as a Toyota, which the boys went into. But before Sonya jumped into the BMW she saw me.

And what was behind me. A shit load of guardians.

"RUN!"…Oh wait, "DRIVE!" I yelled.

I started laughing at my mix-up but stopped when my laughter was slowing me down. The backseat door was wrenched open and I hopped in without any hesitation.

Sonya put the car in gear and drove manically down the street, following the Toyota.

I turned around briefly to see Dimitri's figure getting smaller…and smaller.

**PLEASE READ!**

**I'm going on a camp and won't come back till this Friday, so I won't be updating for a few days. Sorry but I hope everyone likes it so far **

**I hope a bear doesn't eat me on the trip haha :S **

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire7**


	12. Chapter 12: Welcome to my coven

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 12**

**Dimitri's POV**

No matter how fast I was I was no match for catching up to a speeding car. I was panting when I stopped; all I looked at was the back window of the BMW where I saw Rose turn and watch me until the car turned a corner then she was gone.

I grimaced and felt like hitting something. I grinded my teeth and took a deep breath.

Clam down, Dimitri. You failed this time…just don't do it again.

"Dimitri!" Alberta called. Swiftly turning around, I opened my eyes to see her eyes filled with worry and also determination.

"We need to leave, Dimitri. Come one," she put a hand on my shoulder comforting me, but it didn't work. And nothing will ever work until I complete what I set out to do: free Rose. She saw that in my expression and took her hand away.

"We'll find her. And when we do, we'll save her. But Dimitri…there is a chance that one of the guardians will strike-"

"I know, I know," I cut her off. I didn't want to hear it. "Sorry," I apologized. I most certainly didn't want to behave rudely in front of her. It's not her fault but the emotions I'm feeling now are all tangled up inside. Love and hate, sadness and longing…all jumbled up emotions.

She nodded and a small sympathetic smile made her face light up by a fraction.

Without another word, she and the other guardians started to move to the dead guardian and paid respect and hoped that he'd finally found peace. I knew I should do that too. Honor a brave guardian but I couldn't. My lover killed him. Rose killed him.

After this night, I don't think I'd ever look at Rose the same again, because now all my feelings towards her grew stronger. And yes, because of what she did to the guardian. Now I _had_ to get her back. I _needed_ her to be with me and if we're both going to be guardians then we'll work something out. But now, my feelings took a turn and now I tried my hardest not to turn around, hop in the Hummer and drive after her.

**ROSE'S POV**

**A WEEK LATER **

After this night, everything was going to change. We'd be on the look out. Some of us were paranoid that the gang of Strigoi will come after us and shred…

We still lived at the apartment even though it was risky, but Sonya said that she'd arrange us plane tickets so we can get out of the city.

It started when we went on our midnight hunt. There were a group of Moroi with their guardians surrounding them walking through the parking lot to their cars. In the middle of the night. Which was Strigoi time.

Big, big mistake.

Max and I were pretending to be a couple. We were going to distract them long enough until Aleena, Avery, Jade and Ray come from behind the cars and slice their necks open. Sonya, Simon and Owen were on guard duty, making sure no one was coming our way. There were four Moroi's and five guardians. Hmmm they didn't look royal.

Before we made our way towards the group we went to a nearby tap and dripped water droplets under my eye so it would seem that I was crying.

Max had his arm around me while I leaned against his shoulder in 'comfort'.

We wore contact but still the guardians regarded us wearily. We made our way towards the group and I took my head off his shoulder and look up at them with sadness.

They all stopped and looked up at us, the Moroi were curious and as for the guardians…well they saw our eyes and assumed we were very pale humans. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

"Excuse me, have you seen my daughter. She's the spilt image of my husband," I gestured to Max.

A Moroi man bit his lip, trying to remember.

"How old was she?" he asked.

"Four," I sniffled.

A Moroi woman gasped. "You've lost you're four year old daughter? Oh lord," she said in a small voice.

I bit my lip. "She was taken from us by a…" I leaned closer. "Strigoi," I whispered.

All of them froze. The guardians were on high alert. A guardian scanned the area.

"When did you last see her?" a guardian asked.

"Not ten minutes ago," Max answered. "Which way did you come from?"

"From the club three blocks down," another Moroi answered.

"Was anyone waling along the path when you made your way up here?" I asked hopefully.

"No, no one. But if you like we can call back up and they'll deal with it. They'll help you," answered the same guardian.

I could smell the others near the car and nudged Max with my elbow into his rib. He caught on straight away.

"Oh but we've already taken care of it," Max smiled, not showing his teeth. Yet. That's one of the aspects the guardians would distinguish that we were Strigoi.

The guardian frowned. "What?"

"She's safe and sound. So safe that she doesn't even exist," I grinned then showing my fangs.

"You're dead," Max said simply to the Moroi's and showed his fangs.

The Moroi cried out in panic and did the most stupid thing. They back away and let the guardians handle it, only to fall back into the arms of Jade.

"Hiya," she grinned and bit into the woman who answered me before. Two guardians turned back and that's when Max and I got them. We'd drink from them after they were all dead. That was the deal.

Scream erupted the night and before long Sonya, Simon and Owen made their way towards us. All of the Moroi and guardians were dead. We killed them in an instant. And I didn't regret it one little bit.

Sonya put her hand on my shoulder and breathed out sharply. I frowned when I looked up at her. She was uneasy, almost nervous.

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately catching the attention of everyone.

"Strigoi. A gang of them is here. I can smell them," she said quickly. My lips formed into a straight line.

"How many?" I asked.

Sonya's figure froze and she sucked in a gasp and looked behind me.

"Shit," Max breathed. I turned around

"Wha-"

I stared at them. They stood in a straight line, all of them had their arms crossed against their chests and all of them were staring curiously at us. There had to be around ten at least. Twelve to be exact. And all were Strigoi.

There was one that stood out, and she was standing in front. Her wavy short hair was so black it looked blue, similar to Jade's. She took one step forward and we all tensed up. Max crouched down protectively in front of me. Ray was next to me on the opposite side of me. Sonya was on the other side. Owen walked next to Ray. And Aleena was behind us with Jade and Avery with Simon protecting them.

The woman stopped walking and stood there, contemplating what to say.

"Please don't attack. We're not here to fight," she said, raising her hands. She wasn't shaking with fear but I could tell she was nervous.

Sonya, making it obvious that she was the leader of this coven, stepped out in front of us. She took two steps forward then immediately stopped. Putting her hands on her hips, she faced the Strigoi.

"Then what are you here for?" Sonya asked crisply.

"We're here to ask for help," she Strigoi responded.

"For what?"

"We have been on the run for three months. We need a place to stay and we just so happened to walk by here when you attacked the Moroi. Good job," she appraised.

"What are you running from?" I asked, slipping away from my group. Max caught my hand.

"Rose," he warned.

I looked down at him and grinned. "It's okay.

He was hesitant to let me go, but in the end he did. I walked next to Sonya and shared a look with her.

We didn't know these Strigoi and for them to be in trouble and ask to join our coven means they brought trouble to our coven. That was something Sonya and I didn't want.

"We used to live in Europe until a group of Strigoi attacked us because we killed of their side of the city. There were two of us that were killed. We managed to get away but I know they are after us," she said.

I frowned. "Did you kill a Strigoi?"

Sonya looked at me in confusion. I shrugged.

"If they attacked one of their members in their coven then that's the reason why they're after them. They can't be after them just because they killed."

"We killed three of theirs," the Strigoi admitted.

Sonya sighed. "I'm sorry but I have to look out for my coven. If you join, you bring danger for not only your group but mine as well. As it is guardians are hunting us. And besides, we're leaving the city in two days."

"If we join you, you're coven will be stronger," the Strigoi didn't give up.

"That may be. But how many were in the coven that attacked you?"

She hesitated. "More than twenty."

My eyes widened. "That's what you call a massive coven."

"I know, but you are only nine Strigoi. I have twelve including me. We are twenty-one together," she pleaded.

"I think we should let them join," Avery said. All heads whipped in her direction and she looked at her feet, not wanting the attention.

"Making our coven bigger will increase the risk of someone seeing us," I said.

"But we're running from guardians. Why don't we stop running, and instead attack?" she pressed on, looking up at me.

I sighed. "And where are we all going to stay? A warehouse is too small for us," I joked.

"We build our own place."

"With what? No one here knows how to build houses," Sonya said, clearly annoyed that Avery wasn't on side.

"We do." Sonya and I turned to see a man standing next to the woman who confronted us.

He was fairly tall and his brown hair went to his shoulders. He wasn't as good looking as Dimitri, but yet the hair the was similar yet completely different.

"I build houses, Joe can tile and Marco is a good electrician," he said.

The guys he mentioned walked up next to him. One was a bit shorter than then the builder Strigoi and had short brown hair. The other was fairly muscley and had brown hair as well. Both were looking at us curiously.

I gave an exasperated sigh and turned to Sonya.

"I say we let them stay one night and if they prove to be trustful then maybe we should consider it," I whispered to her. "Even though I don't like it."

She narrowed her eyes at them. "I don't know why but I sense that they can help us. But I don't want you to get too cozy with them. One mistake and they're out," she said to me. Then increased her volume and spoke to them. "The apartment isn't big but I guess we can all fit."

The woman beamed. "You mean it?"

"Welcome to my coven," Sonya smiled.

The woman gave a shout of excitement and ran to Sonya and embraced her tightly. Sonya laughed along with everyone. I couldn't help the laugh that rolled off my tongue.

**OoOoOoOo**

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**(A/N: If you want to see what the characters look like then go to my profile) **

All the girls were going to be staying in my room, while the boys were staying the room the Moroi were in before. I got to know most of them really well. One tore my heart to pieces. Her name was Maggie and she was only eleven years old. A Strigoi forever at the age of eleven. She was the cutest thing with long blonde hair. She folded me around a lot after we finished drinking from the Moroi and guardians. We disposed them in garbage bags and threw them in the large bins on the side of the building.

She was abducted when Carmen, the blackish blue haired woman, found her. Carmen wasn't a Strigoi but the man that abducted Maggie was and turned them both. So in a way, Carmen takes care of Maggie like a big sister. Carmen was twenty-five and 'loving it' as she puts it which made me laugh.

Cody, a twenty- three year old, had short brown hair that he loved to style and he always liked to crack jokes. I got along with him really well.

He told me that he wanted to be a comedian when he grew up but after walking through a parking lot at night and getting attacked, his dream career had to take a rain check.

Stephanie, two years older than me and had long dark brown hair, is the kind of girl that's tough on the outside but gentle in the inside. She wasn't as open as Carmen but she was caring and understood most situations when it comes to getting your heart broken. I told her what happened with me and Dimitri and she listened without questioning anything. Her boyfriend changed her on the night when she found out he was a Strigoi. Well ex-boyfriend now. She hated him for it but now that she understood how to be a true Strigoi, she was never better.

Paige was twenty and had long brown hair that she liked keeping straight. She was friendly and shy but a compete klutz. I never seen anyone trip so often. She came home one night and before she opened her bedroom door the Strigoi grabbed her and turned her. I grimaced when she told me what happened to her.

Nina and Michelle were sisters and both had long wavy brown hair. They weren't that much older than me and they finish each other's sentences. They used to be Mori and were beautiful. And they kept going on about how I was beautiful. Seriously, have they looked in the mirror lately?

They were turned on Christmas Eve. It was their cousin's birthday. There was a massive cake that you can hide in and surprise the birthday girl/boy. Little did Nina and Michelle know that there was a Strigoi in there and once Nina opened the cake, he pounced on her, them Michelle.

Not the best birthday by a long shot.

Levina was a thirty year old with long black hair and loved to wear eyeliner. I have to admit, she looked cool. And gothic. She was kind although I could tell she had a dark side to her. I shuddered inwardly when I first met her but relaxed and got to know her a bit better. Her sister turned her one night after work and didn't bother staying with her. Her sister left her in her house with no goodbye note or anything.

Marco, Joe and Scott were the builders and were in their mid-twenties. Joe had the shortest brown hair out of the three, and then it was Marco and then Scott.

They worked together and got turned on a jobsite at night. Now they were like brothers.

And lastly was Raiden.

He was the one I worried about the most. Because I was attracted to him.

I didn't want to be, honestly. I was planning never to be attracted to anyone else again, but those eyes and hair drew me in so bad that I could hardly look away. I think he sensed my unease and smiled softly. He was the only one I hadn't talked to yet. Even though the attraction wasn't as intense as it was with Dimitri, it was still there.

"Hi, I'm Raiden," he held a hand out. I shook it then let my hand fall.

"Rose."

"You have a friendly coven. I get along with them really well," he said, leaning against the bench in the kitchen.

"Same with yours," I smiled and looked at both of our covens.

"It's like we're a big happy family now," he chuckled.

"I know. How long have you been a Strigoi?" I asked, taking a sip of blood in my glass.

"A year. A work mate turned me while I was in the back sorting out boxes. I thought he'd kill me but I woke up to have extremely good eyesight and my hearing was unbelievable," he explained. I nodded.

"How'd you get changed?" he asked.

"I got turned by the bum hole over there," I indicated to Avery. She turned and playfully glared at me. I gave her a sweet smile, as Raiden laughed. His brown hair was combed in a style that I actually liked. I wonder if I could….

_No._

_Do. Not. Touch. It. _

I refrained from touching his hair, as that pathetic voice inside my hair told me not too.

I sighed, which he saw and looked questionably up at me. I shrugged, and he went back to hearing in the conversations going on between the Strigoi.

I bit my lip as I finally decided not to get carried away. I couldn't be with him. If anything I was with Dimitri. And if I can't be with Dimitri, then I can't be with anyone.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Please read: I'm back at school now so I can't update as much as I'd like too. But I'll do the best I can.  
**

**Hope you like it. That was a long as chapter :0 Yeesh**

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	13. Chapter 13: This can never happen again

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 13**

**Rose's POV**

"Thirty bottles of beer on the wall, thirty bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around. Twenty-nine bottles of beer on the wall," Scott and Joe sang together.

I gritted my teeth and tried not to respond. They were doing it on purpose. They came to know that I have anger issues and singing annoying songs like that tend to piss me off a little bit. Well in other words, a lot!

I was sitting on the couch leaning my back on Owen's shoulder while reading a book that I found I couldn't put down. Ray and Cody were playing chess, while Sonya and Carmen were scouting the area for any Strigoi enemies.

Avery, Jade and Nina were painting their nails, and Michelle was reading a fashion magazine. Owen, Simon and Marco were watching TV and Stephanie and Paige were shopping online and occasionally squeaked when they saw a pairs of shoes they liked. Levina was braiding Maggie's blonde hair and humming the tune to a song she had stuck in her head. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, but me? Hell no!

I was so tempted to throw this book at Scott and Joe but I figured it was too precious. In front of the couch I was sitting on, Raiden was on his phone and was on msn.

I accidentally saw what he wrote.

_I'll see you soon brother._

The person who I assumed was his brother texted back, _very soon indeed little brother._

Then the screen went blank and Raiden turned his phone off.He had a brother?

He leaned his head back on the couched and looked up at me upside down.

God he was beautiful. What I'd do to caress his cheek and-

_Rosemarie Hathaway shut up_, the voice inside me said.

_You shut up_, I thought. Then realized I said shut up to myself because it was my inner voice that told me to pipe down.

He grinned softly up at me. I raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and kept my eyes on my book after that. He chuckled, but turned away and watched TV.

I vaguely realized that Scott and Joe stopped singing and now were also watching TV.

Then my attention went back to Raiden when he stretched, lifting his arms up and stretched them in my direction. I thought I'd be fair and nicely show that his hands were in my face and that I didn't want them there. I kicked the back of his head not softly but not hard either. He head fell forward and Michelle laughed.

"Nice one, Rose," she continued to laugh.

Raiden looked back at me and narrowed his eyes playfully. What I didn't expect was that he actually pounced of me. Owen laughed and got off the couch before we ran into him. I kicked Raiden far enough then swiftly ran in the opposite direction to him. I wasn't running from him. I was just giving us some distance before I ran at him. Maggie gasped.

"Ooh, we should all play!" She said excitedly.

Scott shrugged. "Why not?" then chucked a bowl full of popcorn at Ray.

Ray immediately got up and tackled him. We were all laughing and play fighting.

The play fights went forever and I accidentally tripped and fell into my room with Raiden on my tail. He closed the door and laughed at me. Before he could jump on me again I grabbed his arm and chuckled him on my bed then got on top of him so he couldn't get away. I was sitting on his stomach and held both of his hands above his head with my hand and my other hand was next to his head so that I had balance.

I chuckled when he gave up.

"Cheater," he said, he was breathing hard from the fights.

"Admit it, I'm faster than you," I teased. He shook his head and looked up at me.

"Never," he breathed.

Then something changed between us. I looked down at him with amusement in my eyes but the way he was looking up at me questioned how I should look back at him.

His hands were holding my hips and I couldn't help wonder what it would feel like to have his hands touch my bare skin. I shook that thought out of my head because I shouldn't have had that thought.

My heat was beating fast after he said, "You're beautiful."

I didn't know how to react. I mean we only knew each other for three days. I guess he was being polite but I don't know. He didn't look up at me as if I was a friend. He was looking up at me with much more than friendship.

Then I froze. He shifted so that he was leaning back on his elbows. Our faces had become closer. I felt his breath wash over my face.

"Rose," he whispered, then leaned forward, our lips almost touching. I breathed out and he was already closing his eyes. I gulped.

"I can't," I whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked up at me questioning.

"You don't want this?" he asked. One of his arms moved from under him so that he only leaned on one elbow. His body was slightly tilted to the side for balance and the arm that didn't support him wrapped around my neck pulling me closer.

I didn't object and let him pull me closer. Our lips didn't touch but he brought his lips to my neck and kissed where I was bitten. I sucked in my breath.

His touch was like fire. I wanted him to keep kissing me but I knew it was wrong yet I couldn't pull away.

He laid me down on my bed so that we were both on our sides. My eyes widened when he hitched my leg over his hip. I tried not to moan from the feeling of his whole body pressed up against mine. My whole body was on fire. He kept kissing my neck and then trailed his lips down to my collarbone. I couldn't help but grip his head in one hand. The other hand was on his back.

I feared where this was going because I wasn't sure that I wanted this. And it didn't help that this tank top I was wearing showed some cleverage.

Oh god, he was so close to kissing my breast it wasn't funny. I couldn't stop him because I burned for him to touch me there. I know I should tell him to stop but I couldn't. My nails digged into his back and he hissed in pleasure. His hand that was on my hip tightened.

His lips were only millimeters away from my breast when Sonya came into the room.

Raiden and I both jumped.

Sonya looked at us with wide eyes. Her eyes landed on mine and she raised an eyebrow.

"Rose, when you're done could you please meet me on the balcony?" she said. Not waiting for an answer, she clicked the lock on the handle inside of the room then shut the door so it was locked.

Oh my god.

I have never been so humiliated in my entire life. I wriggled away from Raiden and looked at the wardrobe mirror and almost cried out from how messy my hair was. I tried to flatten my hair out in a rush then sighed in annoyance that it didn't look any better.

I turned to Raiden who was watching me wearily.

"This can never happen again. Understand?" I demanded.

I couldn't believe I just did that. What the hell had gotten over me? How could I let myself forget about Dimitri? I mean I love him. I met Raiden three days ago and I've already fallen for him? How could I do that to Dimitri?

Raiden stood up and walked over to me. I put up my hand for him to stop. He did.

"You regret it," he said. I knew it wasn't a question but I still answered.

"Yes. I am in love with another man, Raiden. I can't be with you when I'm with someone else.

"But you're not with Dimitri," he said.

I blinked a few times. "How do you know about Dimitri?"

"Avery told me.

Of course.

I sighed. "Look, I can't have this conversation now. I need to go to Sonya," I said then walking towards the door. I hesitated before opening the door. I knew I hurt his feelings. But I couldn't worry about that now. I needed to talk to Sonya. I left the room and didn't look back. Everyone was still play fighting. The lounge room was a mess. I managed to get on the balcony without running into Owen and Marco who were throwing bowls at each other.

I stepped onto the balcony and walked as casually as I could towards her.

"Yeah? What's up?" I asked, leaning against the railing. Sonya chuckled and joined me on the rail.

"More like what's up with you and Raiden," she teased.

"It's was a mistake," I said bitterly.

Sonya instantly stopped chuckling. Her face went sympathetic and she put an arm around my shoulders.

"Ah, Rose."

That's when I broke. "I can't believe I let things get that far! If it weren't for you we'd be still in there," I said, horrified.

She scrunched her nose as if she smelt soothing horrible. "Remind me next time not to interrupt."

"You knew?" I accused. "You knew what we were doing before you came in?"

"No. I swear I didn't," she said sincerely. I sighed. I crossed my arms on top of the railing and lay my head on top. My life was so screwed.

"Hey," Sonya said softly. "Honey, maybe it's for the best that you and Raiden hook up."

My head shot up and I was so outraged that I couldn't talk right.  
"Are you…But I…what?" I said in confusion. "What good will come from me hooking up with him?" I squeaked.

"You'd be happy with him," Sonya said obviously.

"No I wouldn't," I said stubbornly.

She shook her head. "Rose you can't love with one man for your whole life. There's always another one."

"Not in your case," I protested.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"What about you and Tomas? Who else have you loved?"

She froze and then I realized I went too far.

"I sorry," I blurted out. "I didn't mean it. I'm so stressed and-"

"You're right, Rose. I've only ever loved Tomas. No one else," she whispered, looking down at her feet.

I bit my lip.

"Just give him a chance okay?" Sonya asked, hope was in her eyes.

I breathed out and looked at my feet.

"Fine. But I'm not promising anything," I warned.

"Yes!" Sonya's face brightened.

**OoOoOoOo **

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The next day, Jade and Paige managed to steal ten million dollars from the bank without getting caught of camera. How? I have no idea. That bought us all passports. We sold the apartment, which gave us more money.

So here we were, at the airport waiting for our fight.

We all wore contacts and pretended to be humans. We were all paired with someone so we looked liked couples.

And guess who was my 'husband'?

Raiden.

Of course Sonya had to pair me with him. Who else? Max again? No of course not. And yep, that's his arm making its way around my waist.

I sighed in annoyance when I saw how long the line was. We were boarding a plane to Michigan then another to Spain, Raiden's hometown.

Does Sonya hate me? I mean, Raiden had got to know a lot of women back in his hometown that he'll probably take off with, leaving me behind and completely jealous…

No. You will most certainly not be jealous. Forget about him. Just concentrate yourself on something else.

I looked at everything but him even though he purposely pressed his body up against mine like a couple usually did.

I gritted my teeth and looked away from him. Close by where the seats were was a little girl watching the plains go. Next to her was a man sitting in a chair with his head down. He was reading a western by the look of it. Pain flashed through my heart at the memory of Dimitri reading his westerns.

The lights reflected onto his shoulder length brown hair as he turned towards the girl that was sitting next to him. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a neat bun. Her jade eyes looked warily behind her. Then her eyes shifted to mine. My eyes widened.

"Lissa," I whispered.

**A/N: I'm not updating tomorrow because I'm going to a theme park for the whole day so this is another chapter for tomorrow. I might not update on Sunday because I'm busy but at least I update twice today right? **

**Anyway, hope you all like it :)**

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**


	14. Chapter 14: The consequence is death

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 14**

**Lissa's POV**

Queen Tatiana was arriving back from her holiday in Paris, so it was required that I was one of the Moroi that will greet her when she returned in the airport. Other Moroi were with us, along with many guardians who were doing a great job in 'blending in' with the humans. Some leaned against walls, some walked around casually. The ones that leaned against walls didn't lean in a tired way but it a way that it was easy for them to straighten up and instantly go into a fighting position. The only thing that someone could distinguish that they were guardians was that they wore their white and black uniform. Alberta and Dimitri accompanied us. The Moroi who were waiting sat down in the waiting seats talking away.

I wasn't in the mood and needed desperately to sit down. While Christian went to get me a glass of water, I went and sat at the nearby seats.

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes closed.

You'll get Rose back. Dimitri promised. Or he'd die trying.

I sighed and put my head in my hands and leaned my elbows on my knees. Could my life be any more screwed up?

I heard someone sit in the sit next to me and immediately thought it was Christian. But when I looked up it was Dimitri.

I sat up and smiled softly. "Hey."

"Hi. Just wondering if you're okay," he said, grimacing.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

I could tell he didn't believe me. I certainly didn't believe myself.

"You miss her."

I flinched and blinked a few times.

"Is it that obvious?" I joked, but not feeling in the mood to be joking around.

"Yes and even if you didn't show it, it would be expected that you did miss her," he admitted. I looked away.

I blew out a shaky breath.

"Do…Do you think that...that I could save her?" I asked.

"Yes. You'd do it for her," he said without any hesitation.

I nodded and knew he was right. I would do anything for Rose even if she were Strigoi.

I sighed and looked behind me at the guardians that were off on a break but were never off guard. I let my eyes wander. I needed to get my mind of things and looking around and seeing if something could catch my eyes seemed like the only way to go. My eyes wandered to a couple that was in line for the plane. The guy's arm was around the girl's waist and their heads were leaned close together as if they were whispering secrets to each other. She looked so familiar. Her hair was long and dark. She was a stranger yet so familiar yet I couldn't put my tongue around it.

That's when her eyes shifted onto mine and I almost let out a shocked gasp.

Rose.

**Rose's POV**

Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

We needed to move.

_Now. _

"Sonya," I squeaked. Sonya, including the entire coven, turned around.

I turned to Raiden quickly. Fear was written all over my face. Raiden's concerned eyes lifted to my face.

"Are you alright? You're trembling," he said, holding me behind my shoulders. Lissa would tell Dimitri that I was with another man. Then Dimitri wouldn't want me any more. Then…

Great, now I was on the verge of going nuts.

I can't let Dimitri see me.

"We have to go," I said frantically.

I knew Dimitri wasn't alone. I narrowed my eyes and my eyes widened in disgust.

I. Am. An. Idiot.

For gods sake! How did I not know there were so many guardians here? It's impossible to miss them! There are hardly any humans at this end any more. I bit my lip hard and was about to start a whole sentence of cuss words when I turned and saw Alberta.

"Oh shit," I whispered.

I turned back to Sonya.

"We're not going to make it," I rushed out. How can we? There were five more humans in front of us and we were going to be detected any second. I was shaking with not only fear but also anger. Why do they keep following us?

I couldn't think about anything else then because Dimitri's eyes flickered to mine. I sucked in a shocked gasp at his beauty and just realized that I was in the hands of another man.

He got up and started to make his way slowly towards Alberta.

I knew what he was doing. He'd alert Alberta.

He didn't care about the others getting killed, just as long as I'm alive.

I turned to Sonya. "Get on the plane now," I said through my teeth. She was looking from Dimitri to Alberta, who was having a chat with a royal pain in the…uh, I mean a royal Moroi.

"What about you?" she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll distract them."

Sonya gave me a sour look. "I don't think so."

I was about to say something but Raiden let me go and ran to the lady that was the collecting tickets.

"Ma'am, my mother is extremely sick. Would we be able to pay for our tickets now? It's just that she's," he learned closer to the woman and whispered something. Her eyes went wide.

"Ofcourse. Right away," she said in a rush. Raiden beckoned us over. I was glad that his attention wasn't on me for the moment.

Avery wrapped an arm around Sonya's shoulder to seem as if she was extremely sick. Sonya did a good job in pretending she was sick. The lady took Sonya's ticket and then the whole covens. All but me and Raiden. The lady was just taking our tickets when Lissa shot up from her seat and ran towards me. I gasped in surprise. Raiden grabbed my hand and was about to tug me into the plane when I felt a sharp tip on my lower back. I cried out when it dug in but it was not enough to puncture my skin. Raiden lunged forward but two guardians grabbed a hold of him. I turned behind me and saw that it was a stake that was against my skin and that Alberta was holding it. Dimitri grabbed one of my shoulders while Alberta grabbed my other. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Let me go," I growled.

"I'm sorry Rose. But you need to snap out of it," she said.

I then saw Lissa and what she had in her hand. A stake.

Which only meant one thing: she charmed it and was about to plunge it through my heart to turn me back.

My heart was thumping loudly when she walked towards me. I knew what I had to do and I had a feeling that Lissa would get hurt.

What do you care, Rose? She's a Moroi and that means she's food! Not your friend! She wants to turn you back to a dhampir where you'll be her guardian and never have any freedom.

I struggled against Dimitri's grip but it was firm. I knew I could fight him off but I was to concerned why Raiden wasn't doing anything. I vaguely realized that Raiden had gone still and was watching me. If he could, he'd rip the two guardians heads off. They kept a secure grip on him but I knew he was stronger.

He was waiting for me to make the first move.

Fair enough. Well here goes nothing.

I turned my head towards Lissa. She was only a few feet away. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Go on. Do it," I hissed.

"Rose!" Raiden protested. He was about to lunge but I shook my head quickly and hopefully he understood that I wanted him to back off.

I turned towards her again and saw that she looked taken aback. She stopped walking.

"Go on, do it. Plunge the stake through me so that I'll magically turn back to being a guardian. And a tag along," I sneered.

She frowned. "You're my best friend, Rose. Never a tag along," she said viciously.

"Ignore her, Lissa. She's not the same," Alberta said, her voice was strained.

I laughed cruelly.

"Is that what you think, Lissa? That I'm not the same?"

"You're not Rose any more. She's deep within you, unable to control the monster on the outside," Lissa said.

I rolled my eyes.

"You don't get it, do you? I don't want to be a guardian, Lissa. You think it's cool for me to throw my life away and never actually have a 'life'? Because I'm too busy guarding your tea parties and making sure that no Strigoi interrupts? You think it's great being a guardian but you haven't go the slightest clue, Lissa!" I yelled at her.

Her mouth flipped open along with other guardians behind her.

"Lissa-" I cut Dimitri off.

"I'd never had a proper relationship, Lissa. I couldn't be with Dimitri because I had to be you guardian. He would choose his Moroi over me. Would you choose Christian over me, Lissa?" I challenged.

She looked away and I saw that there were tears in her eyes.

I nodded.

"You finally understand. I didn't want this. I never did. I wanted a mother who would raise me," my eyes flickered to my mother's who was off to the right and stood still, watching me with weary eyes. Then my eyes went back to Lissa's. "I wanted to live a normal life, not bred into being a guardian. I was taught how to handle a weapon at the age of four. When I was four I knew how to shoot from a gun. What if I thought that there was a play gun on the table at home and picked it up and only realized it was a real gun when I shot myself? It's dark isn't it? Well do you seriously think the guardians want the little ones to live a life, Lissa? They were preparing me to die from the start," I said.

Everyone was shocked. My eyes went to Raiden's and his were sparkling with pride and grinned at me.

My mother gasped at my speech. But I knew my words were taken in because some of the guardians grimaced and turned their faces away from me.

A shiver ran down my spine when my eyes locked onto Dimitri's. His expression was unreadable as always but I knew that he was shocked I spoke those words out loud.

I turned back to Lissa and saw that tears were falling from her eyes.

I shook my head in disgust.

"Your tears don't make me pity you any more, Lissa. I'll fight for whatever freedom I have left. I know you'll change me back. It's just a matter of when and where. But unfortunately for you, it won't be today. It's either me of your queen," I grinned sweetly at the end. And unease murmur went through the guardians.

Lissa frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I nodded towards the entrance of the passage through the plane where the human woman was no longer there. Max and Jade came out and were standing in the entrance. At the same time, Queen Tatiana came out of the passageway four passages down. With all the guardians surrounding me, she frowned. Not knowing what was going on or even seeing me by that fact, she made her way through the guardians. Only when she was six feet away did she stop in mid-stride. She eyes locked onto mine and she gasped, looking as if she were to pass out. I smirked. I knew I still had my contacts in but word would have spread through the Court that I was Strigoi.

"Hiya," I said smugly. Her frightened eyes went to Alberta.

"She's…" Tatiana couldn't even say what I was.

"We are dealing with it, your majesty. I'd advise you to keep your distance between you and Rose," Alberta hesitated. "Perhaps your majesty shouldn't see such commotion."

I grinned. "She's not going anywhere." I said dangerously.

Just then Max stepped forward and brought out a gun and aimed it at the queen. Guardians along with the queen gasped. I leaped out of Dimitri's and Alberta's grip and brought out my gun and aimed it at Lissa's head. I heard a scream and turned slightly to my right and saw Mia, Christian and Adrian standing there.

"No!" Christian cried and ran at Lissa.

I put the gun against her forehead and glared at him. He stopped four feet away immediately.

"Anyone move and the last Dragomir princess will be dead," I warned. Lissa was shaking with fear and was about to reason with me but Raiden shut her up. He moved behind me so we were back to back and brought his guns and aimed them at Dimitri and Alberta. I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Max said in a clear voice, "This is how it's going to go. Any of you attack my family **(A/N: Coven, family, same thing…ish) **and I'll shoot the queen. Not even Strigoi are faster than the speed of a bullet, so guardians don't intend to stand in the queen's way or else I'll shoot you all too," he said as a matter-of-factly. I smiled.

"We are going to be on our way. Any of you try to stop us just here this warning now because I don't aim to say it again: I know where the Court is. If you attack, Strigoi will come and seek revenge. All of you remember that. And especially you," my eyes went to the queen.

"There's only four of you and over a hundred of us," she said.

At the second, poor Max didn't even see it coming. He was close to a guardian and there was no way that he could have seen it. The guardian's stake plunged through his heart. There was a moment of silence before me and Raiden screamed.

"NO!" I cried as Max's body fell to the ground lifeless. Jade screamed and she quickly went to him. She gently placed his head in her lap and sobbed.

My body was numb. Max was dead. I mean literally dead. A guardian just killed a member of my coven. I was brought up to think that Strigoi had no feelings. They didn't know how to feel. Yet sorrow and pain attacked my body emotionally. I couldn't believe it.

My legs gave way beneath me and I couldn't hold myself up. Raiden caught me and kissed my on my forehead.

"We need to move. Get on the plane."

"We can't leave him here!" I protested. Already Raiden was towing me towards Jade.

"Jade," Raiden said. She shook her head as if she didn't want to talk to no one.

Max was like a brother to her. And he was a brother to me too.

Anger ran through every joint in my body just then. I knew I was about to blow. I knew it. I had very little self-control. Raiden saw it and beckoned Jade to move on. He already grabbed Max's body in his arms. Jade stalked up and grabbed Max's hand. Raiden turned back towards me. I still had my gun in my hand and felt I needed to use it. An idea popped into my head and I nodded to him to keep moving. He and Jade hesitantly left.

I turned towards the guardian that killed him and lift my gun and shot him three times in the head. His body went lift and I watched with triumph. Cries and shouts filled the room and before I knew it, the guardians were all stalking towards me. But I wasn't finished. I lifted my gun up again, this time in Tatiana's direction and glared at her.

"Don't worry. I'll be back," I spat, and shot her in the neck.

Damn it! I missed her head!

Lissa and a lot more others screamed.

The queen's body fell backwards and that's the last time I saw her.

I ran to the entry of the passage my plane was on and closed the door and locked it. The guardians weren't far behind me but it was already too late. I was boarding the plane with a new determination.

I now knew that I couldn't hide from it any more. I knew the queen would still be alive.

So I guess that means I'm going back to teach her and her guardians what happens when you mess with Rosemarie Hathaway.

The consequence is death.

**A/N: I can only update once or twice a week now, okay maybe more, but I still have school and school is important. **

**But I hope you liked it :)**

**Please review :)**

**Littewerepire7**


	15. Chapter 15: Did I love him or not?

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 15**

**Rose's POV**

Spain would have been great if we hadn't been mourning for our loss. Avery wasn't as perky as she used to be. Cody never joked any more. Maggie was always on the verge of dry sobbing. Levina never really talked anymore. The death took a turn for the worst and now we were depressed, unprepared to fight and were homesick. We rarely went out for blood any more.

I was beyond depressed. I locked myself in my room and barely came out. Raiden came in every so hour to check up on me but I hardly noticed him. Although Max's death happened a month ago, it feels like it happened yesterday.

One night I sat on the roof of our mansion. We bought a mansion in Spain and were planning to live here for a while. The house was on a cliff and below me was the vast ocean. I watched the waves crash against the sand. I shifted my legs and pulled them closer to me and leaned my head against them.

I barely noticed Raiden come and sit next to me.

I wanted to tell him I was okay, but I knew he knew I wasn't. Or will I ever be.

I lifted my head up and looked up into his eyes. He was grimacing and watching me with wary eyes.

I looked down at what he was wearing and tried not to gawk.

He wore a loose long-sleeved shirt with the first four buttons undone, showing off his chest. His dark blue jeans were loose around his hips. He wore no shoes or anything socks and his hair blew in the wind, giving him a sexy effect.

God was he gorgeous.

I looked up at him and tried not to get trapped from looking in his eyes.

He eyes held mine in an intense gaze and I found that I couldn't look away.

I blew out a breath and let my eyes lazily go back to watching the waves.

"Avery wants to fight back," Raiden said. The quietness between us was so intense that when he spoke I felt relief rush through me.

I rolled my eyes. "No surprise there," I said bitterly. I hadn't talked in two days, nor have I had a drink in that long.

Raiden saw it too. He hopped up and held his hands out to me as if he wanted to help me up. I looked up at him cautiously and raised an eyebrow.

"Come with me," he said.

I turned my head to the side slightly and frowned. "Where?"

"Let's go dance," he said.

I looked up at him and grimaced. "I don't know," I said unsurely.

"Come on. It'll be fun," he begged.

"I don't think 'fun' is what I need now."

He groaned and let his arms fall to his sides.

"Rose, this is killing me. You need to get out. You need to let go of the past. What's done is done," he said.

I looked away. "He died because of me."

"What?" he gasped.

"If I never became a Strigoi he'd still be alive."

"Avery is the one that turned you, Rose. It wasn't your fault. And it's good that you met him because now that you hate the guardians and Court so much, we are stronger. Anger makes us stronger."

"Anger makes us do irrational things," I shot back.

"Rose, he would be happy that he sacrificed himself for his coven. Wouldn't you sacrifice yourself for us?"

"Yes. But he didn't have a choice-"

"Most don't," he said.

I stood up, completely pissed now. I got all up in his face and everything.

"He died on purpose, Raiden! It wasn't an accident that the guardian striked out and killed him. He wasn't ready to die," I yelled.

"You don't know that, Rose! You don't know whether he was or not," he said.

I started to realize that his face was really close to mine.

"You know what? I don't even know why you even bother talking to me! All we do is fight!" I said through my teeth.

"We don't have to fight. Actually I'd rather much prefer that we didn't," he said, exasperated.

"Well keep dreaming. Because until you wake up and realize that it is my fault, I don't want to be with you."

"Liar," he spat. "You couldn't stand a day without me!"

I scoffed. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yeah, Rose, I do. You love me," he said through his teeth.

A snappy retort was on the tip on my mouth in a second, but instead I didn't say a word.

My whole body was frozen. I couldn't feel it. His words stabbed me and I couldn't help but flinch.

He didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't love him. I love Dimitri. Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri.

That was it. Full stop. I only loved Dimitri. What happened between Raiden and me was a mistake. It never should have happened. I regret it so bad that…

I frowned.

When I thought I regretted what happened between him and me it didn't feel right thinking that. How could that be? I mean I was sure it was a mistake and now I think otherwise? It was like he got into my head and was controlling what I thought.

A million emotions ran through his eyes until they softened and he looked at me with love. I wasn't sure what to think. My thoughts confused me.

Did I love him or not?

The answer was locked away but as his lips lowered to mine, I knew that the answer was yes. I felt the world zoom out so it was only Raiden and myself.

His lips were warm against mine and I desperately wanted to taste him. Feeling my need, he let my gain entrance to his mouth. I tasted him at the same time as he tasted me. He tasted so good that it sent shivers down my spine.

What surprised me was that he lifted me up bridal style and carried me back inside the house without anyone noticed, or even breathing our kiss for that matter. I couldn't help but kiss him back. He kicked open the door to his room, and kicked the door closed. He walked over to the bed and got on top of me. This time I let him finish what he started. And this time, I didn't regret it.

**A/N: ALOHA EVERYBUDDI XP**

**Here it is, hope you like it :)**

**Littlerewerepire7 **

**Xoxox**


	16. Chapter 16: Nothing we can't handle

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot **

**Chapter 16**

**Rose's POV**

We lay together on his bed, our bodies were close together.

We didn't go too far last night. I mean it wasn't like we had sex. Only just intense kissing. And at some point he and I ripped each other's shirts off. I knew he wanted to go further but I wasn't ready for that. Yet.

My head was snuggled on his chest as he played with a strand of my hair. We didn't say anything for a while. There was no need to.

But there's always one in every family and in this coven it was Avery. She ruined the moment by bouncing in the room and laughing with excitement.

She didn't even realize I didn't even have a shirt on. Just one extremely lacy black bra on.

"GUESS WHAT?" she yelled, still bouncing up and down.

Raiden covered me with the thin blanket at our feet. Like me, he thought it was bizarre that Avery didn't notice that we were in the middle of something.

"What?" I sighed.

"We are going to attack the Court!" she said then did a happy dance. I would have laughed if this weren't a serious situation. Sighing, I got off Raiden and grabbed my shirt that was on the ground. I quickly got off the bed and faced Avery, after throwing Raiden his shirt.

"When?" I asked.

"In two days time," Jade said, coming in and joining our talk.

I looked from her to Avery.

"When was this decided?" Raiden asked, sitting up and pulling his shirt on.

"This morning. Sonya was going to tell you two but you guys were...um, busy," Jade giggled. I rolled my eyes, then smirked down at Raiden. He smiled sheepishly at me.

Avery looked as if she could blush but obviously couldn't because she was kinda dead. Strigoi couldn't blush.

Yeah, now she notices, I thought sarcastically.

"Do we have equipment? Like weapons?" I asked. Jade shrugged.

"We've got guns. And thankfully they kill Moroi and guardians."

I nodded.

"Sounds good," Raiden said smoothly.

**…**

**…**

**OoOoOoOo **

"Are you alright with this?" Sonya asked softly as Scott and Michelle loaded the back seat of the BMW with our collection of guns. Sonya's eyes told me she was anxious about the trip going back to Court. I knew she would kill as many as she could to pay the debt of Max's death. He was like a son to her. I couldn't imagine how she would have felt. She handed Michelle a loaded gun.

I shrugged. "Yes and no. No because I am in no mood to kill without actually drinking from the Moroi we are going to kill. Yes because I want to avenge Max's death."

She nodded. "I know. We are up against more than a hundred of guardians you know? There are only twenty of us."

"I know. But it's not like it's possible to kill off all the guardians. That's impossible," I said, opening up a box full of loaded guns and started handing them to Scott.

"I guess. But I want to at least kill off a few royal Moroi so that they become scared. And when they become scared that new law for the guardians to graduate at a younger age will take place. That's when we strike again," she explained. I nodded.

I knew what she meant. When royals get murdered, the remaining royals get paranoid and since I had the guts to shoot the queen, I could just imagine the royal Moroi's fear. When they got scared, their fear gets the better of them and now that my threat was heard among them, they had every reason to feel shit scared.

Because I'm not finished.

Shooting the queen, that's just the start. Soon there won't be any royal Moroi left.

We managed to sneak the guns onboard. The flight was long and rough, but with Raiden next to me I felt safe. We were watching a movie on my portable DVD player and our heads were leaned against each other. He was so sweet. Every time the main characters kissed, Raiden would bend down and kiss me. Although it was cute I found it annoying at the end because I was missing so much of the movie. He chuckled at me but left me alone.

We reached Montana in the blink of an eye. We safely arrived at night and thought we'd be pushing it if we attacked tonight. It was only a couple of more hours till dawn.

Funny enough the apartment that we used to live in was put for rent. Sonya paid to stay there only for one night and luckily the agent agreed.

I lay of my bed, strapping the guns into the pockets in my leather jacket. All of us wore black leather jackets and dark blue jeans. And can I just say that Raiden looked so sexy in those jeans. They made his butt look really hot, and I can't believe I'm even thinking that. I stifled a giggle at that thought. At the moment it was just him and me in my old room while he was doing his hair in the mirror on my sliding walk-in wardrobe door. He was shirtless and it took everything for me not to jump on him and kiss him. But I knew we were in a serious situation so I behaved. Yet he didn't.

I came to know that he was doing it of purpose. He looked at my reflection and gave me a lazy, sexy smile that made butterflies in my stomach. I grinned at him put averted my eyes away from him quickly. He didn't like that. So he walked over to me and without any warning he flopped down on the bed. He supported himself up on his elbow as he lay in front of me. He looked up at me expectantly.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You look gorgeous," he purred. I snickered.

"No way," I said shyly. Wait, since when was I shy?

He lifted himself up and leaned in toward me.

"Can Raiden have a kiss?" he said and gave me a puppy-dog face.

"Nuh," I grinned evilly.

He growled playfully and sat up and with a great sigh he brought his lips to mine. I twisted away from him.

"Raiden, there's a gun in my-"

_BANG!_

I accidentally pressed the trigger. Ooh shit.

My eyes widen as I frantically moved away from him to see the damage that I did. The wall had a miniature hole in it, yet light from the other room managed to seep in.

I grimaced. I really hope it didn't get anyone.

"Rose! Raiden!" someone called.

Oh crap. It was Sonya.

I turned towards Raiden and glared at him.

"This is your fault. If you hadn't gotten on top of me-"

Raiden eased himself up and lightly pecked my lips.

"It's all right, beautiful. Bullets can't kill Strigoi," he chuckled.

I stood aghast as he was acting as if nothing was wrong. I opened my mouth to yell at him but he lifted a finger to silence me. My mouth became a tight line against his lips.

"Baby, it's okay. There's nothing to worry about. I promise," when he spoke those last words he leant down and replaced his finger with his mouth against my lips. I relaxed into the kiss but an amused looking Aleena at the door soon interrupted us. I didn't even hear the door open.

I sighed and moved away from Raiden and walked into the lounge room where the whole coven was. Ninety percent of them were amused, and the others….well, they looked surprised. At first, I didn't understand why everyone was hiding their smile. But as I looked at Ray and what was next to his head in the wall I couldn't help my grin.

"Oops," I said sheepishly.

The bullet was in the wall and was pretty close to Ray's head. I looked at him and shrugged. I didn't realize I still had the gun in my hand, so I quickly dropped it on the ground behind me.

Raiden came up, kicked the gun away, and embraced me from behind. He leant his mouth on my shoulder so no one could see his grin. But it was obvious he was smiling.

Ray pointed at the wall with the bullet.

"You two got a little carried away or something?" he asked.

Then the whole room erupted with laughter. I was so embarrassed that I could have blushed if I was still a dhampir. Raiden roared in laughter behind me. The only one that wasn't laughing was Sonya, but she held a huge grin on her face.

"You mean _he_ got carried away. It was his fault," I said, grinning at Raiden.

He shrugged. "You're irresistible," he purred. I giggled.

"Get a room!" Michelle laughed.

"We don't want to witness you two ripping each other's clothes off," Stephanie laughed, playfully putting a hand over her eyes.

"Why not?" Simon protested.

"Yeah, I want to see some action," Scott said, not able to contain his laugh.

"Eww," Paige and Nina said mockingly.

"Okay, okay. It's time for me and Raiden to go now," I giggled.

All throughout their teasing not one of them didn't laugh.

Raiden and I retreated back to our room. He closed the door while I got onto the bed and stretched my legs. He got onto of me, kissing me desperately, as if we hadn't kissed in a month.

**….**

**….**

**OoOoOoOo**

"The gates are massive," Joe gasped.

I shrugged. "Nothing we can't handle.

We waited the whole day in our apartment until night came . That's when we took action. We drove to the Court and parked a few blocks away from it. We were in the nearby bushes and were armed with a lot of guns. What we hadn't thought of was about the wards.

I cussed when I realized that they were everywhere. They protected the Court from Strigoi coming in and to attack. Strigoi couldn't touch them but humans could. They helped along side Strigoi.

"Anyone see a human nearby?" Owen joked.

I bit my lip. How could I have not thought of this?

I had purple coloured contacts in so I didn't look like a full Strigoi. I could walk up to the guardian guarding the front entrance to the Court and ask passage but everyone by now knew my face.

Tatiana wouldn't have wasted time. She would have told the guards to look out for my face.

So how do I get in?

I lifted up a gun and was about to point at the ward, but Marco stopped me. He shook his head.

"They'll hear," he said.

There go all my ideas. I sighed in annoyance.

"Look!" Nina said and pointed to a vehicle that was speeding out onto the road from the Court. It was a Toyota and my eyes were awesome enough to identify what the driver was. A human.

"Bingo," I whispered.

Without hesitating, Cody and Carmen took off after the car. We all watched them pick up speed and smiled with excitement. This was the only way we could get in. One ward. That's all we need. One ward has to be removed from the area and we'd be in. I saw Cody run in front of the car and without stopping, the car collided with him. Cody didn't get injury one little bit. The front of the car crumbled from the impact and Cody did a victory dance when the car stopped. Carmen wrenched open the driver's door and chucked him out. He was in his mid-forties.

"Get up," she snapped and the man staggered to his feet. Cody already had a gun in his hand, pointing it at the man. The man was sobbing and begging them to hear him out.

"Bring him over here!" Sonya yelled.

Towing the frightened man over, Carmen and Cody threw him at Sonya's feet. That was our cue to take the contact lenses out and reveal what we were. The human's eyes widened in aghast.

Sonya pointed to the ward before he said anything.

"Remove the ward, and we might let you live," she said smoothly.

I knew she was joking. Ofcourse we wouldn't let him go.

He shook his head quickly and blurted out, "They are special wards. I can't."

I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back. He cried out. Raiden crouched down in front of him.

"You're going to do exactly what we say," Raiden said viciously.

"I'm starting to get a little hungry, baby," I said mockingly to Raiden. Raiden grinned up at me, then glared down at the man.

"You hear that? She'll drink you dry if you don't cooperate. Now get up and take the stake out," he stood up and gave me some room.

I towed the man by his hair and threw him in the direction of the ward. He was sobbing so hard that when he fumbled with the ward, he was shaking so bad. I almost felt sorry for him.

Once the ward was out the magic was gone. Even I felt the departure of spirit. I shivered. The man chucked the stake away and looked up at us with fear.

Joe walked up to him and grinned, showing his fangs.

The man wouldn't have seen them attack him. Joe and Owen were too fast. When he realized it, it was too late.

After they fed on the human, they got up and smiled sheepishly at us.

"Sorry, did you guys want some?" Joe asked teasingly.

I grinned. "There's plenty more where he came from. We could have a Moroi each," I said dreamily.

The taste of Moroi made me crazy and at that thought I walked passed where the wards used to be and into the grounds of the Court with Raiden by my side and our family behind us.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Hope you liked it**

**Please review :)**

**Littlerewpire7 **


	17. Chapter 17: What's cooking good looking?

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 17**

**Rose's POV**

With our sneaky ways we managed to sneak across the campus without anyone detecting us. We walked along the paths and tried to look normal put it didn't work. We ran into trouble on the way to the building where the loud booming music was coming from. I assumed Tatiana threw on a party. A group of four, one Moroi and three guardians, were heading towards us.

With our pale skin and red eyes noticeable we were risking getting caught. I saw that the guardians had walkie-talkies. They press a button and our plan was doomed. From the look of the Moroi there was definitely a party going on. She was dressed in a long light green strapless dress that flowed to the ground. The guardians were in their suits and looked posh yet they looked like they could kick-ass.

Hmmm, we'll see.

I walked ahead of my group and power walked over to them. Raiden wasn't far behind me. When the group saw me they immediately went in fighting mode. Except for the Moroi ofcourse.

I grinned, showing my fangs. "Hey, how you doing?"

I went for the closest guardian's neck and twisted it. His body fell limp at my feet. The Moroi screamed and started to backup. Jade and Aleena went for the next guardian. And lastly, Owen and Paige went for the other. The guardians were good but they were outnumbered. By a long shot. After the guardians were dead, I sprinted after the Moroi. I had a brilliant idea and needed her for it. She didn't run that far so I caught up to her easily. I jumped unto her back and ripped her head off from her body.

Now for the fun part.

**LISSA'S POV **

My gown flowed to the ground, making it hard for me to dance without stepping on it. Christian grinned down at me every time I did so. It was embarrassing but I got over it when I saw that other women were having the same problem. Not to mention that I had a glass of wine in my hand making dancing more difficult. Queen Tatiana organized a party that all the Moroi, royal and non-royal, attended along with the guardians. It was held in the building where all the masquerade balls were held. Beautiful decorations hung for the ceiling along down the windows as well. Adrian, Mia, Christian and myself danced together near one of the corners of the room. Dimitri was yet to come. I suppose he was just finishing tidying up. The men all wore suits. Adrian's hair was styled like it always was and same with Christian. Mia curled her hair and styled my hair so it looked like fine flowing blonde ringlets.

"You look gorgeous," Christian said, smiling brightly. I looked him up and down.

"You look very handsome," I said, adjusting his collar and smoothing it out to make it neat. We grinned at each other before he leant down and pecked my lips.

Adrian and Mia danced towards us. Mia giggled at me and I raised an eyebrow. She laid her hand on my shoulder.

"I dared Adrian to say 'what's cooking good looking' to the next waitress that walks by," she giggled. I looked expectantly at Adrian and shook my head.

"What are we going to do with you, Adrian?" Christian chuckled. Adrian shrugged.

"Send me to the nearest bar so I can refill my glass," he grinned.

I snickered and Mia bounced up and down.

"Look, Adrian! A waitress," Mia sang.

"God," I said, shaking my head at the two. Christian and I were watching Adrian as a woman walked passed us. Her face was turned away from us and she held a black bag. She seemed familiar.

She reminded me of…

No, that's impossible. I shrugged and shook off the thought.

It was the wine I had earlier. I assumed it was getting to me.

Adrian tapped her on the shoulder. She responded by stopping but still didn't turn around. That's bizarre.

"Hey, what's cooking good looking?" Adrian asked seductively. Mia and I burst out laughing.

Adrian and Christian were grinning their heads off.

The laughter died immediately when she turned around.

"Moroi," she said, grabbing a bundle of hair out of the black bag and held it to our faces. I saw that it wasn't a bundle of hair. It was a woman's head. A Moroi. I looked up at the woman in aghast. How could she…

I gasped and dropped my glass of wine.

The woman standing in front of me was Rose.

**A/N: Sorry it's short :(**

**Please review :)**

**Littlewerepire7 **


	18. Chapter 18: This was it

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 18**

**Rose's POV**

Their faces were priceless, seeing me holding up a Moroi's head in front of them. With the contact lenses out I was a hundred percent identified as a Strigoi.

We had a bit of trouble with the guardians guarding the exit door, which my coven and I slipped through. There were five of them, but like the guardians outside they were clearly out numbered. I was the only one that was in the room at the moment. Once I signaled them to come in, that will be my coven's cue to forward in and kill anyone that stood in our way.

Ray and Marco went for a little trip to the room where guardians were spying through the security cameras. They were all dead by now.

Ray and Marco stayed in the room incase another guardian comes in, and watched us do our magic.

I concentrated on Lissa and watched her every move.

I let the Moroi head dangle in my hand once my arm fell to my side.

Mia was behind Lissa and Christian, horrified at what she saw: me.

I grinned, showing my fangs in the process.

"So, how are you all?" I said sweetly. Everyone was too shocked to speak.

Adrian took a step towards me and I mirrored it but taking a step back.

I shook my head. "Don't," I warned.

Adrian stood still. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at me.

"Rose, you don't want this. Lissa can save you and if it makes you better then I'll do it if you want. I'm a spirit user remember?" he said softly.

I laughed bitterly. "You seriously think I want to be a guardian any more? Those days have gone."

He was about to say something else but I lifted the Moroi head up. I shrugged.

"Relax and enjoy the show," I grinned, and flung the head into the middle of the room. It fell on a woman who threw it off her. People stopped dancing and crowed it. A woman screamed at the sight of it and collapsed back in her partner's arms. More and more people figured out what it was and before I knew it, both Moroi and dhampirs were distancing themselves from it. Tatiana, who was positioned on her thrown at the front of the room, stood up gracefully and motioned for a guardian to come to her. He was talking urgently to her and her eyes widened. Her eyes turned towards the head and walked towards it slowly. She stopped a few meters away and examined it. She sighed in relief.

"She not royal," she assured everyone.

"Not royal? What, we non-royals mean nothing to you now?" someone protested.

A few people yelled in encouragement. Tatiana froze and I snickered. Not so powerful are you now, bitch-iana.

"Ofcourse you do-" she stuttered.

"In other words she thinks you non-royals are completely worthless and she couldn't care less if you all die at the hands of the Strigoi, which is going to happen now," I spoke out.

All heads turned towards me and with all the attention on me I smiled. Moroi cried out in fear while the guardians moved in and were about to attack me when I held up my hand.

"I'm in front of the Dragomir princess, Ozera prince and an Ivashkov prince. Three Moroi about to be killed by my hand in an instant. Now you can quicken the time they have left to live by moving forward or you can back up now so they have more time. Your choice," I challenged.

The guardians didn't back up. I shrugged. "Your loss."

I grabbed Lissa and threw her on her knees and made her back face towards me, grabbed her head and was getting ready to twist her head to the side in a painless death. She whimpered in fear. Christian ran towards her and my grip tightened. Lissa cried out which made Christian stop in his tracks.

"Rose, don't," he begged. I shook my head.

"You people don't like to listen to me, do you? This is the consequence."

"We'll back away," Mia said urgently and started to back up and towed Adrian with her. Adrian's eyes never left mine. Christian slowly backed up.

By now, Tatiana made her way through the crowd and was standing next to Christian a few meters away from me.

"Rose, name what is your desire and I'll give it to you. Just let the Dragomir go," Tatiana said seriously.

I mockingly pulled my mouth to one side in thought.

"I want my brother back. Max," I said. Tatiana frowned in thought. I sighed in annoyance.

"The Strigoi one of your guardians killed that day at the airport. But you can't bring dead people back, can you? I guess I'll just have to kill her then," I sighed dramatically.

Tatiana glared at me. "You so much as hurt her and I'll have every guardian rip you to shreds," she warned.

"Really? Haven't you noticed that I'm a Strigoi and that by the time your pet guardians get to me I'll already have killed her and a few guardians?" I barked.

Lissa stiffened.

Tatiana folded her arms across her waist and grinned. "You couldn't kill everyone in the room, Rose. There's one guardian that I know you couldn't."

"Who?" I said sarcastically.

"Me."

I stiffened at his voice. I hoped so badly that I wouldn't run into him tonight and that he wouldn't run into me. But now it was impossible. I turned to the left, still holding Lissa's head in my hands, and saw him. He wore the guardian uniform and looked like a god. His hair was loose and not in the small ponytail he usually had it in. A few strands were on his face that made him look sexy. He stood tall and strong at the edge of the clearing. Tatiana was looking at me with amusement. But I didn't care less.

All I saw was Dimitri.

_My_ Dimitri.

No matter what I told myself…no matter how hard I fought the feeling I knew I would always love Dimitri. Strigoi or not, he was my lover.

I shook my head to try and get rid of that thought.

_How can you think that!_ That annoying voice chastised. _You're with Raiden!_

But I don't love anyone like I love Dimitri, I thought.

_Forget about him. He doesn't love you remember? His love faded away from you! Raiden is a nice guy. Don't do this to him!_

That hit me like a tone of bricks and I tried not to cringe.

And what about Adrian? I was his girlfriend before I turned Strigoi.

_You seriously think he loves you any more? You're a monster to him._

A monster…

Up until now I hadn't thought of myself as that. I thought of myself as a powerful Strigoi. No creature is more powerful than a Strigoi. I felt like a goddess.

Yet all this time I was really a monster.

I contemplated that perhaps I should stay away from the Moroi. For good. Well, only from the ones I knew. If I just kept going back and forth and back and forth for revenge of my brother then all I would do is regret not staying with them, which was really bizarre. I'm Strigoi for crying out loud! Since when did Strigoi feel the need to stay with their loved ones? Strigoi were heartless and I should stand by it not against it.

Dimitri's eyes never left mine. In those heavy seconds I knew what I was in a trap. I was surrounded. Even if I killed Lissa I would get killed shortly after.

So I did the worst mistake of my life.

I released her.

She fell to the ground, breathing hard as I backed up a few paces from her. Christian and Adrian were at her side in an instant. They helped her up and were about to take her away but she pulled back. Her eyes went to mine.

"You let me go," she sounded astonished.

"No shit Sherlock," I said sarcastically. She shook her head quickly.

"No, no. You actually let…me go. Why?"

I looked at her with blank eyes. I couldn't tell her the truth because then Sonya would come in and fall into the trap. I thought the guardians in the room were the only guardians here.

I was wrong. More than a hundred were here in the room alone. The room had high ceilings as if it had two levels. There were porches that were at the top where people could look unto the people on the floor dancing. Guardians, more than what the amount was down here, were up there. I knew that now and I knew I was doomed.

My family though, they can definitely escape.

"Because I choose to sacrifice myself for my family," I said. If I didn't let Lissa go, they would have come and attacked. Now, they had a chance.

But my message was heard wrong. In a blink of an eye my coven ran through the main entrance of the room. My eyes widened.

"NO!" I screamed and darted towards them but it was no use. I was surround by at least fifty guardians.

I couldn't see Raiden or my family but I heard them. They already began to attack. I heard little Maggie cry out my name and I stifled a sob. She was so young. Too young to die. By now the guardians from up top entered the room and helped the Moroi evacuate along with fighting my coven off. I leaped at a guardian and went for the neck but a strong pair of hands grabbed my arms and pinned them behind me.

I turned around and got ready to bite the guardian but froze when I saw whom it was.

Dimitri.

His grip was hard as he pulled me towards the middle of the circle the guardians made. But I saw that there was only half of the amount there was before. I could see my family fighting through the gaps.

Dimitri turned me towards Lissa and his grip tightened.

Lissa along with Christian and Adrian were the only Moroi left in the room. I could see why. The other two decided to stay with Lissa for support. My eyes narrowed when I saw what she was holding.

A stake.

One she charmed. This was it. This is when I'd be turned into a guardian again. No more freedom. When Lissa started to make her way towards me I frantically looked for one of my family members and almost cried out in relief when I saw Raiden fighting a guardian in the middle of the room near where I threw the Moroi head. Once he killed the guardian his eyes lifted to mine and they narrowed in determination. I shook my head quickly when he started at me.

"NO! Get out! Now!" I cried.

He didn't stop but only ran faster. By now Ray and Cody joined him.

"Get everyone out, Raiden! Please!" I begged.

He was almost there and I only had a bit of time.

"Raiden! Please! I'm begging you! Leave! It's a trap!"

"They're going to kill you! I'm not going to let that happen!" he shouted. They were at our circle now and fighting with the guardians on the edge.

I dry sobbed as I saw that Lissa was standing only two paces away from me. I knew I had to do something.

What I did next was crazy.

Raiden managed to kill the guardians that charged at him. Cody and Ray were fighting off the rest as Raiden came to me.

With one of my legs balancing me, I swung the other, hard, and kicked Raiden's chest, sending him flying backwards. By doing that move, Lissa had an open view of my chest and she took it.

Without any hesitation she plunged the stake into my heart.

**A/N: HAHA MAJOR CLIFFY THERE! **

**Any who, please review and tell me what you think :)**

**Littlewerepire7**

**Xoxox**


	19. Chapter 19: Ten years in prison

**PLEASE READ THIS BIT: **

**I just figured out that Sonya's lover's is named Tomas in the Australian books but in the US it's Mikhail. Since I've got the Aussie version I'll just call him Tomas. Hope none of you mind…**

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 19**

**Rose's POV**

Magic flowed through me. At first I felt as if I was floating through the clouds. I felt in a way…peaceful. Though not whole.

I squeezed my eyes shut because there was also pain. I looked down at me and saw a stake plunged into my chest. A pale hand was holding and when I looked up and saw her, memories flowed back to me.

Like what happened with Dimitri, white light surrounded me. I was Strigoi for a brief moment after the stake stabbed me, then I felt…normal. Yet in so much pain. I doubled over and if it weren't for Dimitri's arms around me I would have toppled over.

I couldn't bare it. It was so painful. It was like I was fading away from myself and then…there was nothing.

The light disappeared instantly and I fell back against Dimitri's shoulder. I heard a few gasps and a lot of screaming.

Especially a girl's scream. Everything was so fuzzy but I looked over to see a girl standing in the middle of the room with long blonde hair and red eyes.

_A Strigoi…_the thought faded away when I saw a woman grab her and ran at lightening speed out the door.

Others followed and I vaguely wondered what was going on. I was on the edge of consciousness and was about to faint when I remembered the little girl's name.

"Maggie," I whispered. My eyelids started to get heavy and when I couldn't keep them open for much longer I fainted.

**…...**

**…...**

**OoOoOoOo**

The first thing that scared me shitless when I opened my eyes was my eyesight. It wasn't blurry, but it wasn't as clear as it used to be. I frowned. I slowly rose to a sitting position and stretched my stiff body. I heard a few cracks and winced, giving up and slumped back down as I sat in confused silence. My hearing…it wasn't the same. I used to be able to hear the highway a few miles away and now and could only hear what the doctors were talking about in the other room. I squinted to see if that improved my sight but failed. My hearing…well I didn't have a clue on how to fix that.

Maybe I have a concussion and was still recovering. That made me feel a little better. But not a heap lot.

I felt so weak. Weaker than I've ever been before as a Strigoi. I was always strong even when I hadn't fed.

Speaking of feeding, I didn't have that sudden urge to drink blood. My throat would always be dry in mornings and I'd beg Raiden to go fetch me a glass of blood. But waking up and not feeling the need to feed was bizarre.

As if any of this wasn't bizarre. I started to freak out. My eyesight has gotten worse, I can't hear as good and I'm not thirsty. And I fell asleep. Strigoi couldn't sleep, not even faint.

What was happening to me? I didn't feel like…myself.

I moved my tongue around the inside of my mouth and froze. I couldn't feel my fangs. I sat up straight and put my hand over my mouth, frantically feeling for my fangs with my tongue.

They weren't there.

How is that possible? They were there yesterday when…

I looked up to my reflection in the large mirror across the room. I knew I was in a hospital bed and in one of those white patient gowns.

But none of that matter. What mattered was my reflection. I squinted to get a better look because I didn't trust my eyes. My eyes were seeing me when I used to be a dhampir. Dark brown eyes, not red, lightly tanned skin, not pale, and worst of all…no fangs.

I was a dhampir, not Strigoi.

Without another thought I jumped out of bed at such speed that it made me dizzy. I used to move faster than this yet never got dizzy. I refused to believe I was a dhampir again. I walked slowly towards the mirror and peered at the girl in the mirror. Her skin was smooth not rough as it used to be. She looked as if she had shrunk a bit. And she looked broken.

So broken that it looked as if she couldn't be fixed. Ever again.

No matter how many times I refused to believe it, no matter how many times I told myself this couldn't be happening…I knew I got turned back into a dhampir. A guardian. Well, that is if they don't kill me first. I remembered how the guardians and Moroi were cautious around Dimitri after he had been turned. Will that be the same way I'd be treated?

I narrowed my eyes as the memories from last night came back to me.

Lissa coming at me with the stake, Dimitri holding me in place. Lissa's strike when the stake pierced my heart. The pain.

Me kicking Raiden away…

Raiden. Oh God.

The door flung open and in came five people. A doctor and four guardians. I regarded them suspiciously.

The doctor looked at me with kindness but I knew better. I wonder if he'd some the same kindness when he experimented on me, just like they said they would with Dimitri.

The doctor cleared his throat and smiled softly.

"I see you've made quite a recovery, Miss Hathaway," he said.

No more Guardian Hathaway. I should have expected it at least. Yet it still surprised me they didn't address me properly. I didn't show them that I was surprised though. If I was to find out what was going on here then I needed to play the same game.

I nodded. "Yes, I have. How long have I been unconscious for?"

"Two days. I did some tests I hope you don't mind. They were only to check you blood level and to see if your recovery was going as planned, not taking a turn for the worst," he said, clasping together his hands behind his back.

I raised an eyebrow. "So you won't actually study me?"

That was what I desperately hoped for.

He shook his head and relief flowed through me but I kept that blank look on my face.

"No, there's no need. Guardian Belikov had provided us with the information."

"He's a guardian now?" I asked, astonished. They let him protect someone again?

Oh gee I wonder who…Lissa, ofcourse, I thought, completely disgusted.

"Yes, but he isn't allowed to protect anyone. He's more of a guardian that sits down and does paper work," the doctor sighed.

Paper work and Dimitri don't mixed. I almost grimaced but stopped myself. I felt sympathy towards him. He was never one of those people who could sit at a desk and do paper work. He loved to be out there in action and fight for the Moroi.

I nodded slowly.

He then looked away and towards the guardians. "I suppose she's going to go to prison now?" he asked warily. My head shot in the direction of the guardians.

My expression became furious. "What? Prison? For what?" I exclaimed.

The guardians closed in.

"Rose, you committed a crime," the doctor said.

"What crime?" I barked.

"You shot at Queen Tatiana. Your consequence should be death yet Tatiana went soft on you."

I shot at Tatiana? Why would I…

Oh. Everything I did as a Strigoi came back to me. The innocent people that I killed, the amount of times I stole blood from the hospital then ended up feeding on some of the patients in there. Befriend with Sonya and becoming a member of her coven. How I shot at Tatiana because a guardian killed Max.

That's why I came to the Court that night. To take revenge on Max's death. Then I was tapped and that's when Lissa striked.

The little girl that screamed…Maggie.

I hurt Maggie and Sonya… I hurt that whole coven.

Especially Raiden.

He and I had a thing. Maybe not as strong as I am, well _was_, with Dimitri but we still shared a connection.

Everything was still confusing but I decided to not get into any more trouble than I already am in so I let the guardians escort me towards the Court's prison. It was midday and when we walked out of the hospital and sunlight shone on my arms I grimaced and squeezed my eyes tight in fear.

It didn't burn. Not even a little. The sunlight was soothing my skin, making it warmer. I open my eyes and looked down and saw no nasty looking burnt skin.

"Keep moving," one of the guardians growled.

I sighed and kept walking. I hadn't realized I stopped walking. My stride was confident because I didn't want these guardians to think that I was weak or scared or anything. They let me get dressed back into my clothes I wore the day before so I didn't look ridiculous walking across campus with a white hospital gown on.

As I walked I tried to remember more. More of what happened and why I felt extremely nervous when I thought of seeing Lissa again. She was my best friend so why do I feel like this towards her? And Dimitri? Why is it that ever time I picture them inside my head I feel hatred towards them. Especially towards Lissa.

It was like I despise her so much that I couldn't stand to see the sight of her. What did she do that made me hate her so much? I mean, is it possible for me to hate Lissa?

She must have done something bad. Real bad. But even if it were bad, I'd forgive her, right? **(A/N: Nah lol)**

When we walked across the campus I noticed a woman that looked really familiar. She was making her way towards me and the group of guardians.

My eyes widened from the sudden realization. She was Adrian's mother, Daniella.

"The queen requests that Rose to be proceeding to the Council Hall," she said pleasantly. The guardians looked at each other sharing confused glances before looking back at the Moroi.

"Everyone is waiting so I don't mean to pressure you but it's an urgent matter," she pressed on.

"We were to send her to the prison according to Her Majesty," one guardian replied.

"Rose is to face the charges in front of everyone. That is what I've been told. And you will follow orders from the queen, will you not gentlemen?" she voice was harsher this time.

With surprised looks on their faces, they followed Daniella towards one of the largest buildings on the Court's vast estate.

I assumed everyone was assembled inside the hall, for no one was present outside, minus some of the guardians.

As soon as I entered the room, chaos started. People were yelling and screaming, trying to catch the queen's attention. Those people were standing up in clusters shouting, waving their hands around…anything to get attention. _Moroi_, I rolled my eyes.

The Council's herald must have given up trying to shush the crowd down. The only person who seemed to be not fussed about the noise was Tatiana. She sat patiently in the center of the table where the rest of the council sat next to her on either side. The Council was made up of eleven royal Moroi, not including the Dragomirs since there was only one left and she was not old enough to vote or to join the Council. Only one member of each royal family was represented on the Council.

What struck me was that hardly any of them noticed me walking in. My hands were bound by handcuffs that were rough against my skin.

As we moved further into the large hall, more and more people started to notice us and soon the shouting died down to complete silence.

Everyone in the room watched me sit down on a chair that a guardian provided for me in the middle of the hall. The guardians that escorted me here backed away slowly and went to stand by the entrance with the rest of the guardians.

A few silent awkward moments passed. I wasn't shaking from the nerves. I was shaking with anger and shock. I was angry to be in here and to be wasting time. I'd rather lie down on one of those prison beds then have to go through them telling me my sentence.

I kept my face blank and tried to control my feelings.

I tried to sit still but I kept throwing glances around the room to see where Lissa was.

But then the feeling struck me again. That anger. I refrained from looking over again and concentrated on Tatiana. She had a cast around her neck from her injury, which I caused. I tried to hide my grimace.

Once the noise died down she addressed the Court formally.

"Myself and the Council would like to congratulate you all for coming at this abrupt meeting. We are gathered here today **(A/N: She sounded like a priest then haha)** to make a verdict. Before us is Rosemarie Hathaway. A promised guardian who turned Strigoi. We stand by our laws and one of them is, the most important one: never harm a Moroi. Whether the Moroi was harmed by a Moroi or and guardian or even a human they have to be rightfully punished. And to harm a queen for that matter, the accused deserves death," Tatiana said slowly.

Discussion erupted through the Court and I watched the Moroi gossip among each other.

I tried to not take her words to heart. I did harm her but I was Strigoi. I wasn't in control. It was like I was stuck inside and couldn't control my body.

Just then I saw a Moroi stand up quickly and address the queen.

"She wasn't herself, your majesty. She was Strigoi and was incapable of controlling her actions," she said defensively.

I didn't want her to turn her perfectly shaped face towards me but she did. Her blonde her flowed down her back and her eyes locked onto mine. I tried to look away but her gaze was hard to look from.

Lissa.

Sitting next to her was Christian. On the other side of her was Adrian. Then Dimitri. My eyes shifted to his and I got lost in his captivating brown eyes. I couldn't look away. It was simply impossible. How much I wished I could run to him and hug him, but I knew it was wrong.

He used me. He said he didn't love me and now look where I am. In the middle of the Court, about to be sentenced to jail for my entire life. For what? Not giving up in trying to make him love me again? You can't tell someone what he or she should feel towards you. I never should have wasted my time proving to Dimitri that our love was real. That it was solid. That it was something that couldn't be erased.

Yet I managed to wind up in this situation. All because of him. And Lissa. She didn't help the situation.

I knew why I felt hatred towards Lissa now too. She was the one that turned me back. You'd think I'd be grateful but I wasn't. I wasn't grateful to be back. I wasn't grateful that now I'd spend my life in prison. It's not something I want.

I looked away from them both and looked back at Tatiana again.

"Miss Dragomir, please sit down," a Council member advised.

Following orders, she sat down but she wasn't finished.

"It isn't fair that you're charging her for something that she never wanted to commit," Lissa pressed on.

"Strigoi or not she broke Moroi law," a Council member reminded.

"It's the same situation that happened with me," Dimitri spoke for the first time.

_Don't look at him._

"I'm sorry, Guardian Belikov. But this is a matter that simply can not be unrecognized."

"She isn't Strigoi any more," Adrian snapped. "If she were, you'd all be dead."

"Mr. Ivashkov! That is quite enough," the woman scowled.

"She's just like what Dimitri was when he changed back," Christian persisted in the conversation.

"Yet she still broke the law!"

Although I should be thankful that they were standing up for me, I still disliked what they were saying.

"And-" I interrupted Lissa.

"Would you all stop talking about me as if I'm not even here?" I shouted, my voice rose in volume with each word. I cracked it, I know, but it was infuriating me.

My voice echoed throughout the room. The guardians got ready to run over and tackle me down. Tatiana very briefly sank further down in her seat. By then I was standing up but I didn't dare move.

I looked at Lissa and the others and directed my words towards them.

"You don't know how I feel. You don't know what going through me because you haven't gone through what I have," I snapped.

Lissa sat in stunned silence as she stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

I kept going. "I have been through alot when I was Strigoi. It wasn't like I went up to a Strigoi and said bite me. Avery Lazar changed me," I heard a few gasps but kept going. "Simon, her used-to-be-guardian was with her too. They escaped the Institution and came after me. Her brother was there and I killed him before he attacked me. Simon grabbed me and while Avery bit me. Lovely way to get turned, right?"

No one dared to speak. They all stared at me, some in fear and some in fascination.

That's when I started to move. I moved away from my chair and instead walked slowly towards the Council table. I wasn't close to it when I stopped walking but the Council still inched away from me.

"Yeah, I'm no longer Strigoi. No longer undead," I looked over at Lissa," and no longer do I have freedom."

A Council member laughed. I turned to her to see she was the same woman who was arguing with Lissa and the others before.

"Freedom? As Strigoi?" she chuckled. "They have no freedom. They are stuck inside of the body of a monster and aren't able to come out."

"You'd know wouldn't you," I said sarcastically. "Since you've experienced being a Strigoi and all."

She had no idea on what she was talking about.

"I haven't gotten bitten and became undead but the evidence is clear. Once they're Strigoi they are not the same," she said slowly as if I was a little girl.

I pointed to Dimitri. "When he was a Strigoi and I went after him, do you think he killed me? Huh? Am I not still standing here? He let me live," I said angrily.

I knew it wasn't the best argument. After all Dimitri only kept me alive because he wanted to turn me but they don't know that.

I ignored her and turned my back to the Council, facing the guardians.

"Tell me the truth, do you want freedom? Do you want to live a life, have a family and have kids and not protect those bunch of morons that would throw you in danger at any second?" I exclaimed.

They didn't dare answer me. I could see that they were taking it in. They must want freedom of all things.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tomas. He looked as if he would nod in agreement but still pretend not to care.

I turned back to Tatiana.

"If I can't have freedom I don't see any point in living. So just kill me and get it over with."

Tatiana's eyes looked as if they'd pop out of her head. The crowd stood in silence but that didn't matter to Lissa. She burst out in outrage, "Rose! I get that you're mad but how could you say that? After everything we've been through you want to-"

"YOU'RE A MOROI! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYHTHING ABOUT BEING A GUARDAIN SO DON'T YOU DARE QUESTION WHAT I WANT!" I screamed out so loud that I'm surprised the roof hasn't collapsed.

I was shaking so bad from anger it wasn't funny. I felt like clawing her eyes out. She had no idea what it was like to be a guardian. No life, a tone of responsibilities, you step out of line and you're dead along with your Moroi…she just doesn't understand!

Everyone in the room was frozen from my outburst. Adrian and Christian's mouths were wide open. Dimitri froze in place, looking like a statue. As for Lissa, tears were coming down her face.

I turned to Tatiana, much more calmer than I was before.

"Do you want to be a mother, Tatiana?" I asked softly.

She regarded me suspiciously. "Yes," she replied hesitantly.

I nodded slowly, blinking back the tears in my eyes.

"I can never have that because I'd be a guardian. Heck I don't expect to be a guardian ever again. But before you sentence me to jail ask yourself one thing: What if you were in my shoes? What if you were a guardian and I was a Moroi? Would you not want a bit of freedom?" I asked softly.

She stared at me, heart broken be my speech. The other Council members were aghast but that one woman who looked as if nothing phased her.

She cleared her throat and looked up at me.

"I hereby declare you are to serve ten years in prison for assaulting her majesty and breaking Moroi law. The Council had spoken. Does her majesty approve?" the woman said.

In those heavy moments, I knew Tatiana would agree. I broke the law. What's done was done and now I had to pay the price. Serve my time in prison. And probably being chucked back into being a guardian again afterwards. Fun.

Tatiana bowed her head and refused to look at me when she spoke, "Agreed."

Unlike Lissa and the other who were protesting, the rest of the Court sat silently.

I nodded once, finalizing it.

The woman ordered two guards to take me to the prison. I didn't want to wait around. Lissa's patronizing voice made my anger boil again and all I wanted was to get out of here.

Before I turned my back on the Council I gave Lissa one menacing glare before I left the room. No way was I letting her off easy.

The guardians walked me to my cell and ordered me to change into those hideous orange uniforms they got prisoners to wear. Once the guardians left I pulled it on and felt the need to retch. The uniform was clean although had a disgusting odor.

Without anything to do, I lay down on the creaky mattress and tried to think of how the hell I was going to survive in a prison for ten years.

**A/N: Whoa, long chapter :0 hehe**

**Anyways did I mention you people are doing AWESOME in reviewing? I think I got like seven reviews for the chapter before **

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	20. Chapter 20: Miss me?

**WHEN I SAW THAT I GOT 22 REVIEWS I SERIOUSLY DID A HAPPY DANCE! YOU ALL ARE SO AWESOME!**

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**Chapter 20**

**Rose's POV**

A week has gone by and I was seriously out of ideas to escape. My first one was to seduce the guardian that was guarding me to come towards my cell then I could somehow get the keys, unlock my door and go BAM! and punch him in the face.

The second option was to act absolutely insane but there's just one problem: I had to get up. Over the days I've had a serious case of laziness and the thought of running around made my head hurt.

That's all the ideas I've had so far. Not really cool huh?

What was annoying now was that I was allowed visitors and since I can't say 'no I don't wanna see them' like Dimitri got to, I had to go through the anger of actually talking to my visitors. And guess what? They were all due to come in today. Separately ofcourse but still. It's bad enough that my first visitor was Lissa.

God I could feel the anger swirling inside of me but tried to keep as calm as I could and see how long I lasted without shouting.

"You have a visitor," the guardian said and nodded to Lissa. She smiled at him then looked sadly over to me. The first thing I noticed was the bags under her eyes. That meant two things: one: she hadn't slept in a while and two: she hadn't had a lot of blood. She stopped taking care of herself.

She probably expected me to feel sorry for her. I nearly laughed at that idea.

She turned back to the guardian.

"May I please have some privacy?" she asked softly.

The guardian hesitated. "I'm supposed to stand guard, princess."

"It'll only be for about ten minutes," ten minutes of hell, "I'll be as quick as I can."

The guardian grimaced. His eyes became hard as he looked over at me.

"I'm watching you. Step out of line and I'll break you neck."

"Sounds good," I mocked.

He grunted and moved a fair distance away. With him gone Lissa leant her hands against the steel poles of my cell.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Why are you here?" I asked suspiciously.

"I wanted to see how you're doing," she said softly.

I scoffed. "Lissa, are you serious? How do you think I'm doing? You seriously think this will change my mind about not wanting to be a guardian being in prison for ten years? Sooner or later I'll go crazy."

She looked away and sucked in a sob before turning back to me.

"I'm sorry."

"Bullshit."

"I mean it! You think I like seeing you locked up?" she snapped.

"You'd rather me being locked up then being Strigoi. That something we don't have in common," I said.

"Ofcourse I don't want you to be Strigoi! I don't want you locked up! I want you to go back to being my best friend," she said exasperatedly

"Don't think that will happen, Liss," I admitted.

She glared at me. "You can change that, Rose."

"Not after you took everything from me," I growled.

"How is being Strigoi everything to you?" she demanded.

I gave her a sour look. "Gee, maybe because I didn't have to play tag along like I always used to do. You and Christian didn't seem to mind me guarding you while you two talked about crap."

"That's not true," she said, tears building up in her eyes.

"That's what you haven't realized yet, Lissa. You'd think that because I have told you a number of times that I don't want to be a guardian any more you'd listen?"

"Becoming Strigoi changed you. I don't know why and I don't know how. But I will find a way to make you Rose again," she said.

I shook my head. "I don't think so," I said, my voice was low.

"That's where you're wrong, Rose. I will get you back. This isn't you!"

I cringed.

I looked away when her words crashed down on me.

_This isn't you!_

I had serious déjà vu then. That's what Dimitri said to me before we first made love. Lissa sent all of her anger to me and I couldn't contain it. Only because of Dimitri I calmed down. I guess one thing led to anyone and before I knew it we were making love.

I blinked back the tears and nodded my head slowly.

"You're right," I whispered.

I heard Lissa sigh in relief. She did that too soon, because my next words ripped her heart.

"This isn't me. I belong as a Strigoi."

Here we go.

She looked at me completely aghast.

Her eyes darkened and she glared at me. "Well if that's how you really feel than you don't need me."

"Not any more."

She nodded angrily. "Fine. Go turn back Strigoi-"

"I'll take your advice on that," I said.

"-but when they hurt you and don't want you any more don't come crying to me."

"I won't be the one who will come crawling back, it'll be you, Lissa," I said darkly. I yelled, "Guard! Take her way! _NOW!_"

The guardian looked apologetic when he came back and escorted her out, but not before she turned around and gave me one more sad look.

I didn't think anything of it. She just didn't understand what was going on with me. I hated being in this cell. I hate this Court; I hated this feeling I get when I see a guardian smile mockingly at me when he walked passed. I wanted to kill them all.

The next visitor was Adrian. I wasn't surprised.

He looked even worse than Lissa. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a smoke in his hand.

For once I didn't care if he smoked. It was his lungs that were going to be damaged not mine.

"Little dhampir," Adrian sighed.

"Adrian," I said formally.

He gave me a look. "Since when do you treat your visitors like that? Pretend as if they aren't your friends?" he asked.

"Since I don't have any friends," I stated simply.

I couldn't trust anyone in this Court.

Not even Dimitri any more. And that said alot.

"That's not true and you know it," he argued.

I sighed. It was like the conversation with Lissa all over again.

"No offense, Ivashkov, but why are you here? Hasn't Lissa already updated you? Wouldn't it seem fair to me if you talked about a different subject?" I said.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Rose, she came out crying so hard she couldn't talk. I had to see you. I just managed to get in before Dimitri," he said.

Dimitri? Oh God.

"Why me?" I groaned and closed my eyes tightly and leaned my head back on the wall.

Why is it that I am always the one who is put through so much crap? Why not anyone else? First Lissa, now Adrian and next Dimitri! It's like a friggen sandwich. Lissa is the bread, Adrian is the meat, Dimitri is the cheese and I'm the sauce that's all throughout the sandwich. Why do I have to be put in the shittiest places every time?

Speaking of sandwiches, I'm starving.

My stomach growled. I think Adrian heard because he stood up straight.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat?" he asked.

An idea popped in my head.

"Yes, please. Can you get me some nachos? I have a craving for nachos at the moment," I admitted sheepishly. He nodded.

"I'll be right back." Then he walked away. When I couldn't hear his footsteps any more I stood up and walked to the front of my cell and faced the guardian on the corner. Adrian forgot to mention for the guardian to go away.

"Excuse me but could you not let Mr. Ivashkov back in here? See, I have a headache and just couldn't be bothered to talk to anyone," I whined. The guardian couldn't have gotten away from me any faster. He hated me and I hated him.

I heard shouts and immediately recognized Adrian's voice shouting out my name.

I blocked the shouts out of my head.

I sat back on my bed with a content smile on my lips.

Suck on that, Ivashkov.

I lay down on my bed and tried to let sleep overtake me which in the end it did. I didn't want to have any more visitors ever again. Talking to the people that I currently despised was enough to make me hit something.

Sleep came quickly and before I knew it I was out cold.

…**.**

…**.**

**OoOoOoOo**

"Roza?"

I jolted awake. That voice…it was so smooth and so low that at first I thought it wasn't real. Sure enough, when I looked over to the entrance of my cell I saw Dimitri. I blinked a few times to wake up fully but I was still disoriented.

"Wha?" I said incoherently.

He didn't say anything, just waited patiently. I knew my hair was atrocious but why do I have look good for him all of a sudden? I mean it wasn't as if he wanted me any more.

"How long have you been standing there for?" I demanded, rubbing my eyes.

"Not long. Only a few minutes," he replied.

I didn't know if I found that convincing though. He would have stared at me for five minutes without my consent.

I sighed and looked up at him, holding myself up with my elbows.

"Go on. Chastises me for all the things I should do and not do like everyone else has since my week started in Hell," I said distastefully.

He shook his head. "That's not why I'm here," he said carefully.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then what are you here for? You expecting me to be all take-me-back-Dimitri or something? Well guess what? You'll be waiting or awhile."

He frowned. "I'm not here because of that. I'm here because I wanted to notify you that there has been some commotion about a new law. Guardians now graduate at the age of sixteen," he said disgustedly.

My eyes widened. What? How can they do that? Sixteen is too young. Way too young to go out there against Strigoi who are masters in combat.

Then I got it.

"The Moroi have gotten paranoid."

"Very. Strigoi murdered a royal and now it's a law and there's no questioning against it," he said.

I shook my head, utterly appalled.

How could they be so immature? I sure wasn't ready at sixteen although I thought I was. Now that I look back on it, there's a big differences between graduating school at sixteen than graduating at eighteen.

I grimaced. "They're not ready."

"They think they are but they're not. I used to think that back when I was sixteen," he mused.

I nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Then we both looked up at each other, startled that we agreed on something. Usually we were always fighting. It felt good not to fight but I couldn't forget the fact that I was still mad at him.

I frowned when I heard someone walking towards my cell. Dimitri turned towards the noise and immediately his eyes lit up. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"This place is so ghastly. I can't believe Rose has to stay here for ten years," a woman complained.

Tasha.

When she walked into the light and stood by Dimitri her eyes gleamed when she looked up at him. She put her arm around his waist for support and he did the same to her so she wouldn't face plant it. She wore high heels and was wobbling everywhere.

"Remind me not to wear the heels for a bit," then she then turned towards me and her eyes widened in sadness.

"Oh, Rose, sweetie. I'm so sorry," her voice cracked a few times.

But I wasn't paying attention to her face. I was looking down at her swollen stomach. My mouth formed an 'O' when I saw her.

She was pregnant.

And looked to be due in a few moths. My narrowed eyes went from her stomach to her eyes then to Dimitri's. That's when it finally sank in.

Oh. My. God.

I started to shake really badly. So bad that they must have noticed.

"Rose…" Tasha said.

My breath was coming out awkwardly and I soon found myself gasping. I looked up at Dimitri and felt betrayal.

Dimitri was the father. He hooked up with Tasha.

Raiden and I might have gotten together but it wasn't like I got knocked up! But Dimitri didn't want me any more so why did I feel betrayed?

Maybe because he got together with her? Or because he didn't bother to tell me.

I didn't care. I just wanted them to go.

"How could you?" I whispered to him. I felt broken hearted.

His eyes widened with shook.

"Rose-" he started.

"I don't want to hear it," I spat, looking away from him.

"It's not like that, Roza-"

"GUARDS! GET THEM OUT OF HERE! NOW! AND I MEAN _NOW_!" I screamed.

I couldn't take it any more. I needed them out of my sight. I hated Dimitri and I hated Tasha. I hated them so much at that moment.

Dimitri left Tasha standing there by herself and grasped the steel bars.

"Rose, believe me, it's not what you think," he said desperately.

"What is going on?" Tasha cried as a guardian took her by her arm and carefully led her out of the prison.

Dimitri was another story. He started fighting the guardians off him and shouting out my name. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to see the guardians drag him out. He screamed out my name one final time both silence sunk in.

I sobbed until I eventually fell asleep.

…**.**

…**.**

**OoOoOoOo**

I was awoken by someone screaming. I shot up and gasped at the site before my eyes. A man was standing in front of my cell with his back to me. He wore no shirt so I could clearly see the muscles on his body. His black short hair stuck to his head and was drenched. Come to think of it, his whole body was drenched. I assumed it was raining outside.

The person who screamed was the guardian that guards my cell. I bit down on my fist so I wouldn't scream.

The man held the guardian by his throat and held him up high on the wall opposite to me. The guardian was dangling there, unable to touch the ground.

With one last shuddering gasp for air, the guardian suffocated.

I stared at him with wide eyes as the man chucked the guardian's body carelessly on the floor. Then he turned around to face me. He was breathing hard. I couldn't see his face because of the light in the hall but I knew one thing was for sure.

He was Strigoi.

He grabbed two poles on my cell next to each other and pulled them apart to make an opening for him instead of wasting time trying to find the key. Once it was big enough for him to climb into, he made his way in.

I was shaking with fear. I couldn't move. I just barely had the control to squeeze my eyes shut as he walked towards me and sat on the bed beside me.

I couldn't help it but when he lifted his hand and caressed my cheek I opened my eyes.

He smiled down softly at me. I saw his beautiful face clearly now.

"Miss me?" Raiden asked.

**A/N: Hehe another MAJOR cliffy **

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**Littlerewpire7**

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	21. Chapter 21: Red eyes

**PLEASE READ: OH MY GOSH! I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE! MY INTERNET WAS DOWN AND I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING! I. AM. SO. SORRY!**

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**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 21**

**Rose's POV**

I felt butterflies in my stomach when he smiled down at me. We were both breathing hard. I couldn't believe my eyes. Raiden was here with me. I mean really here. Not like I imagined it or dreamt it. He was really here.

He shook his head slowly. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner."

I was still dazzled by him. Just because he was Strigoi didn't mean he was beautiful. He was stunning.

My hand touched his cheek and he closed his eyes, savoring the moment. He turned his head slightly and kissed my palm softly before looking up at me.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked.

"Because this was the last place I saw you," he sighed.

I shook my head. "No, I meant how did you find me in here? In the prison? How'd you know I'd be in here?"

"Where else would they have put you? The infirmary? I doubt it," he said as he pulled me towards him. I embraced him tightly and he did the same with me. Then he was kissing me. He kissed my forehead, my eyelids, my nose, my cheeks and all over my face. I sighed in content. And lastly my lips. The urge to kiss him back desperately over powered me and I found myself knotting my hands in his hair. He pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. I pulled on his hair playfully and he growled mockingly against my lips.

That's when a siren boomed through the prison. I jumped at the same time he did. I looked fearfully at him. His eyes went wide.

"The guardians are coming," I said worriedly.

Then I was on my feet. I was still in that hideous orange uniform but I didn't care, I climbed out of the opening Raiden made and held my hand out for him to take it. He swiftly got off the bed and took my hand.

Raiden opened a pocket in his jeans and brought out a gun. He handed one to me.

I looked at him skeptical.

He bumped into my shoulder playfully. "What? You forgot to use a gun already?"

I looked at him incredulously. "Pfft! Ofcourse not. Why would you think that?" I couldn't help grin. He couldn't help grinning either and leant down and kissed my forehead. His lips lingered there more than I expected and I briefly closed my eyes. When he pulled away he looked down at me.

"You're so beautiful," his voice had gone rough. "Not that I expected anything different but you're just so gorgeous."

I grinned and clasped his hand.

We both knew the only way to get out of the prison is through the entrance. Guardians would be surrounding the entrance by now. I asked him where the rest of the family was and he said they were at our base, which was an estate Sonya bought in Spain. I sighed in relief. I was glad they weren't here but I was also confused. Why had they agreed to stay behind when they know it would be nearly impossible for Raiden and I to escape alive. I thought they'd help. Technically Raiden wasn't alive so that might come in handing when running out of here. He was the fast one. Me? I'm fast but no one can outrun a Strigoi.

Raiden ran ahead of me so that he could attack the guardians securing the exit/entry. There were three of them. Raiden sent a blow to the first guardian on his face. The guardian staggered back from the force of the punch while the other two were edging towards Raiden. He kicked one of them in the chest, which sent him flying into the wall. He fell to the ground and was unconscious. Raiden did the same to the other one and flipped backwards and turned around swiftly and pulled his gun out. The bullet collided with the remaining guardian's forehead and he died instantly. Raiden threw me a smug grin and held his hand out for me. I took it greedily.

Before we proceeded out the door he embraced me.

I looked at him with surprise but wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes.

He took a shaky breath and spoke. "Rose, it's night out there. That means the Moroi are out and about. Guardians as well. So if they grab me don't stop, just run. Okay?"

I stood on my tippy-toes and kissed him full on the lips. I guess he took that as a yes but I meant it as a _no_. He falls, I fall. Just like what Rose said in that movie _Titanic _when Rose **(A/N: Was it Rose? If not, I'm sorry) **says you jump, I jump.

I won't leave him behind. Never.

Raiden said he could hear the guardians on the other side and said to brace yourself. He opened the door, got his gun ready in his hand and grabbed my hand after he opened the door. Like he said, there were guardians on the other side. The amount frightened me. Almost thirty. Yikes.

When the guardians saw Raiden they immediately went into fighting mode.

"Run!" Raiden hissed and I bolted while he shot. The prison was a separate building but there were paths that you'd walk on to get here. The path headed towards the bigger and important buildings.

The guardians' screams were agonizing to hear and I tried to block them out. I was running at top speed now, Raiden still was shooting but after a little bit he ran out of bullets. We were at the major buildings now where the Courtrooms are and where the Moroi shop. A large flight of stairs where atop was the entrance to the shops were Moroi. They sat there casually, talking and catching up. When they saw us they freaked out and moved forward up the stairs while crying out in fear.

Raiden asked me for my gun at the same time I dropped it after running into a Moroi on the lower step. I almost fell headfirst but Raiden's arms reached out and pulled me back up.

I looked down and saw that I had run into Lissa. I gasped out as I saw Christian and Adrian along with Mia and Eddie with her too. Time to move.

"Rose!" Lissa cried out as Raiden tugged me down the next path again.

_Don't listen. Just run_, I told myself.

I was running out of breath and had to stop but I knew I couldn't. I kept running for Raiden's sake.

If he carried me it would slow us both down and I didn't want that. We were almost at the front gate with nearly almost every guardian chasing us including a few Moroi such as Lissa. I knew Dimitri was among them somewhere. When I thought of him anger surged through me and I narrowed my eyes and made my legs carry me faster.

So close now. The gate was only a hundred meters away.

I looked over my shoulder and my eyes widened.

It all happened so quickly. A guardian had her stake in her hand and flung it in our direction.

The stake was moving so quickly that I barely had anytime to react. The stake was aimed for Raiden.

I guess you could say that at that moment I felt something. A protective emotion that made me react like so. I guess it meant that my feelings for Raiden were pure. He was a part of me. A part of my soul like a soul mate usually feels towards their equal.

Which was why I gave Raiden's hand one last squeezed and lunged on his back so that the stake didn't pierce him but me.

I cried out in pain as the stake stabbed me. The cut was deep. I felt like it went in near my spine, which was frightening. My breath was whipped out from me as I fell to the ground on my side. A few people behind me cried out but not as loud as Raiden did. He spun around and looked down at me with anguish.

"No!" he screamed and bent down to my body. He put my head in his lap and cradled me.

"Raiden…" I gasped out. I knew my time was ticking. I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before I died and I was grateful they were with him. He was sobbing so hard that his shuddering body made my shudder. He gently pulled the stake out and I roared in pain. That made him sob even harder.

"Rose, stay with me. Rose? Rose!" he yelled frantically.

I stopped responding. I could barely hear him. It was like I was underwater. He seemed to be fading away.

My eyes became fuzzy, my head didn't hurt any more and what blocked my hearing was the continuing beating sound of my heart. I was dying.

Raiden hung his head and laid it down on my forehead.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," he sobbed. I shook my head faintly.

"Not…your…fault. I…love…..you," I gasped out.

His arms tightened around me.

"Rose, I could…" he gave up that idea.

"What?" I asked weakly.

"I could bite you so you'd become a-"

"Do it," I said desperately.

I hadn't realized that option. I was relieved that was a different way than having to die then and there.

He nodded once and leant down to my neck.

**DIMITRI'S POV**

I saw him leaning down and immediately knew what he'd do. I sprinted as fast as I could but I wasn't quick enough. The man opened his mouth and his fangs dug into Rose's neck.

_NOOOOO!_

She gave a shout of pain and her head fell back. But when her eyes opened again they were red.

Roza was Strigoi. Again.

**A/N: I had a bit of an Internet problem so that's why I couldn't update. Sorry :(**

**Okay, I told myself not to fall in love with Raiden and to stick with my idea that was to end this story as Dimitri/Rose. And me being me fell in love with Raiden :P**

**I'm shocking hehe**

**Anyways, from reading the reviews a lot of you don't like Dimitri. So I'm considering not letting Rose and Dimitri get back together. BUT I'm not a hundred percent sure yet :S**

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire7**

**xoxox**


	22. Chapter 22: I love you, Raiden

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 22**

**Raiden's POV**

I sucked Rose's blood then fed mine to her so she'd complete the transition. Her eyes had turned from brown to red and I sensed the change in her as soon as my fangs left her skin.

She was Strigoi.

I leaned back a little to see her a little better. When her eyes found mine I couldn't help hugging her tightly against my body. My hand supported the back of her head and my other supported her lower back. She was weak because she hadn't had any blood but that was unfixable now. Now we had to get out of here. The guardians were only a few feet away from us as I jumped up and held her bridal style. I ran as fast as I could towards the gates.

A guardian behind me yelled at the guards at the gate to close it.

I picked up speed and for a second I thought I wasn't going to make it. But I did. Just.

I dived for the tight opening and fell on my back with Rose on my chest of the other side of the gate. The gate closed with a shudder and the guardian shouted in outrage.

Rose groaned and clutched her forehead as she sat up. I shuffled to my feet, holding out my hands to her. I pulled her up and put her arm around my shoulder.

"Did you bring a car or something?" she asked.

She voice had changed. It used to be softer but now it was a slight bit rougher. I didn't care. I wouldn't even care if she had an extra leg. She was still Rose. My Rose.

I nodded and said breathlessly, "There," I pointed to an old Ute that I stole in Montana.

We sprinted awkwardly towards it and I opened her door for her. She sat in the passenger seat and bulked herself up. I jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. The guard had allowed the gate to reopen but it was too late for the guardians to catch up. I was already speeding down the road.

**ROSE'S POV**

I still have a stinging feeling in my chest but apart from that I felt much better.

I was Strigoi again which meant my dark nature came back. Raiden found my nature sexy and loved it when I showed my evil side. I grinned smugly at the thought.

We both wore contacts again since he was such a sweetheart a brought me a pair.

I looked over towards him.

"Bring any money?" I asked.

He nodded, his eyes briefly went to mine then return back too the road.

"Yeah. How are you feeling?" he asked, putting an arm around my shoulder. The Ute was only a three seater so I sat in the middle instead the other one so I'd be next to him.

My hand rested on his thigh and he shivered, and it wasn't from the cold.

I shrugged. "Better. How is everyone?" I asked.

The hand on the steering wheel tightened. I frowned at his reaction.

"Great. Everyone is great," he said. His voice was slightly strained. I turned my body towards him and leaned against his shoulder so I could get a better look of his face.

"You're not telling me something," I said.

He wasn't looking at me but at the road. I sighed heavily and leaned back in my seat.

I was irritated that he wasn't spilling what was wrong. I knew something was up from the beginning. Ever since Raiden came in and busted me out of the prison. The rest of the family wasn't here when they should be. Sonya wouldn't have let him go alone. At least one family member would have gone with him.

The more I thought it through the more I believed it.

I bit my lip both I said, "They don't know you're here, do they?"

No answer.

I looked over at him with shock written all over my face as I saw he had gone still. He gripped the steering wheel in both hands and his jaw was tight.

I opened my mouth the say something but then closed it when Raiden looked over at me. His eyes were soft but every muscle in his jaw was so tense.

"You're right. I didn't tell them," he admitted softly.

"But why?" I asked exasperated.

He turned back to the road and ran a hand through his hair.

"Because something has happened and I didn't want them to worry even more," he sighed.

I gripped his shoulder hard and he winced. When I saw that I caused him pain I loosened my grip on him. "Pull over."

"Rose…"

"_Pull over._"

He wouldn't be able to resist obeying me then. I needed to know what had happened. The guardians would still be a far distance away and so it wouldn't hurt to pull over for a couple of minutes.

He complied and swiftly drove off the road and hid the Ute by parking next to a few large trees all bunched together. Once the Ute was off, I took my seatbelt and his off and slid across his lap and faced him. Our bodies were pushed up against each other's and he gasped in surprise. I took his face gently in my hands and looking up at him.

"Tell me," I pleaded.

His mouth formed into a firm, straight line and his eyes were cautious. From that look I knew it was bad. Extremely bad.

He squeezed his eyes shut and he tilted his head forward so it touched mine. His eyes then opened and lifted to my eyes.

"Maggie is missing," he whispered.

My eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"W-What?"

"She's…she's gone, Rose," he said, his voice broke a few times.

I leaned away from him and looked at him with disbelief.

Maggie was gone? That can't be. Why would she…how did she…

I squeezed my eyes closed and felt him caressing my shoulders, comforting me in everyway he thought possible.

I shook my head. "No…"

I didn't know what else to say. It felt lame to say it but what else could I say? How was I supposed to act? My emotions were all mixed up.

My eyes opened and saw that his face was inches from mine.

"Where is she?"

Raiden lifted a hand to touch my cheek but I moved away. He let his hand fall to my waist looking slightly hurt.

"We don't know, Rose. We searched the entire country almost. We can't find her. It's like she vanished into thin air," he explained quietly.

I made a sound that sounded so bizarre that I would have laughed if I weren't so heartbroken. A sob escaped me and soon my whole body was shaking with them. They just kept coming. Sob after sob after sob. Raiden held me close and I felt so safe in his arms. But Maggie was out there. All alone, no idea where she is. Lost. Confused. Having no one to look after her. Complete opposite of how I felt which made me sob even harder.

"Shhh, baby, shhh," he soothed softly and rocked me slowly back and forth. I held onto him tighter.

As he held onto me, he drove back on the road. We needed to get home. The sun was out and thankfully the windows were so tinted that I could barely see outside. That gave us some protection from the rising sun. Raiden wrapped a blanket around me while I sat on his lap. I was his protection so he didn't need a blanket.

The trip back to Spain went so quickly. I stared into space most of the time while Raiden stared at me, helpless. At some point of the trip I assured him I didn't want anything and it made him relax slightly.

Getting out of the airport was a nightmare. Sunlight shone bright and it was hard enough to not get burnt, which to my horror Raiden did.

We entered the cab, me going first. He climbed in next to me and made sure I wasn't in the sunlight. After giving the directions to the cab driver, Raiden leant his head on my shoulder. The driver drove out of the shade of the building of the airport and sunlight sprang onto Raiden's arm. His skin started to sizzle then burned. Raiden jumped and hissed in pain while I frantically moved to the furthest seat in the back and pulled him in the middle seat. I took the blanket off me and pulled it around him.

He squeezed his eyes tightly and he was breathing hard. I hugged him to my body and made sure he was completely covered from the sun.

"You kids okay?" the driver asked, briefly looking through his review mirror to look at us with suspicion.

I nodded. "We're fine," and grinned at him like there was nothing. He shrugged and focused his eyes back on the road.

One of my hands held Raiden's shoulder while the other supported his head that was tucked in the curve of my neck.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

Raiden's figure was shuddering and he quickly shook his head. "It burns," he said painfully.

We weren't going to make it. Our family's estate was on the other side of Spain and Raiden needed help now. We'd have to stay somewhere until he got better.

By now we were close to the city when we drove passed this new looking five star hotel.

"Excuse me!" I said. "Drop us off here please."

Raiden looked up at me. "What are you doing?" he demanded softly.

To my relief, the driver stopped in the shade again. The hotel provided us shade, which was good, and I got out of the car slowly and opened the car door as wide as it could go. I held my hand out for him and he took it reluctantly. I knew he wanted to get back to our family as quick as possible but I needed him to get better first. After paying the driver I led Raiden to the entry of the hotel. I wouldn't look at the burn on his arm until we'd get a room. As I walked in the hotel room the ground level was simply gorgeous. I was welcomed by a winding staircase that had black metal flowers twisting together in the bars of the railing and looked extremely expensive. The flooring was timber instead of carpet or tiles. There was area to the side that resembled a lounge room that had half a dozen large couches that were a gorgeous deep aqua colour with silver cushions that looked exceptionally comfy. The desk the receptionist sat behind was on the other side and she welcomed us with a large smile.

"Good morning," she was kindly.

I smiled and brought Raiden over to the desk with me. He had wrapped the little blanket, which we kept from the truck he stole; around his arm to make sure she didn't see the burn.

The lady looked to be in her mid-thirties and had wavy long blonde hair. She was remarkably beautiful and had light blue eyes.

"Hi, I was wondering if you had any vacant rooms," I said nicely.

Her eyes brightened. "A couple canceled a room with only one bedroom a few days ago and is going to be vacant until the end of the weeks. So if you'd like to stay, you may stay for four days. The other rooms aren't vacant for another two weeks. Is that fine?" she asked, after checking the vacancies on her computer.

"That-"

"-would be perfect," I said, interrupting Raiden. I knew he was going to be difficult. I sent him a dark look that she couldn't see but then grimaced when I did so as I looked back down at his arm. I shouldn't treat him like that. After all he was the one in pain here.

Raiden saw my change of mood and squeezed my hand in comfort.

"Great," she said enthusiastically. My attention was brought back to her. "We recently changed our costs for nights. For one night it's two hundred and fifty dollars," she looked up at us guiltily as if she was sorry that it was expensive but she didn't say anything because another woman forward into the room.

At first I thought she was a man. The poor thing was really overweight and she had a scar above her eye that looked freaky. In her days I'd consider her as beautiful but now…she lost it all.

All my guilt and sadness stopped for her as she spoke.

"Melissa, for Christ's sake! Where are those dang cleaners? Room 52 is a mess!" the woman exclaimed at the receptionist.

Melissa cringed. "They're on a break, ma'am," she replied warily.

"Well go find them!" the woman shouted. Gosh, she was a cow.

"Why don't you get off your fat ass and go look for them and leave the woman alone!" a voice shot back.

With Raiden snickering I found out that that voice belonged to me.

Whoops.

The woman turned towards me and I swear she looked like she'd eat me.

I didn't feel scared. I was a Strigoi, which means I could kill her in no time at all.

Yeah, take that biatch.

"Excuse me?" she said dangerously.

"You're not excused. Now apologize to this woman who has to put up with your shit,"I shot back.

Raiden held out the money to Melissa and she took it shakily and thanked him.

The woman, no, I'll be nice and give her the nicest name I can think of at that moment: cow.

As I was saying, the friggen cow glared at me and I thought she was on the verge of throwing something at me.

Then I realized Raiden paid for the room and that gave me an idea.

I put my hands on my hips and said sweetly, "Let's sort this out now. I don't like you and you don't like me. We paid for four days, no shut up cow, I'm talking," I said when she was about to interrupt. Raiden was having a hard time not laughing even though he was in pain. What the fudge? How does that work? "As I was saying, I don't wanna hear ya, see ya, smell ya and if I do and you treat me like shit again Ima pop a cap in your ass, you hear?"

God, I've turned gangsta.

Raiden couldn't hold it in any more and burst out laughing. But then he banged his burnt arm on the desk and clutched it close to his body while repeating, "Ow, ow, ow, ow," over and over. I shook my head.

The woman was speechless. And when I mean speechless I mean S-to the-P-to the-E-to the-E-to the-C-to the-H-to the-L-to the-E-to the-S-to the-S** (A/N: That took SO long to write haha)**. She stood frozen at the edge of the desk and Melissa thankfully came to my rescue.

She brought out a pair of keys and held them out to me. I took them and looked down at their number.

"Your room is room 7. Enjoy your stay," she said in a rush. I smiled down at her.

"Thanks," I said and grabbed Raiden who had to be a bum and slam his arm on the desk, which probably made his burn even worse.

As we walked passed the cow I brought two fingers to my eyes and then turned them in her direction and mouthed _I'm watching you_. To say she looked freaked out was an understatement. She looked as if she were to pee herself.

We walked up the winding staircase and walked along the corridor to find the number 7 on a door. I opened it and gasped at the site before me. We had our own kitchen, our own lounge room, king-sized bed, a plasma and movies.

"Oh my god," I breathed.

Raiden rolled his eyes at me and bumped into my shoulder playfully. "You get what you pay for, which in this case is alot," he said, before walking into the kitchen and going through the cupboards.

"What are you looking for?" I asked as I patted the plasma affectionately.

"I'm looking for the first aid k-…. Rose, what are you doing?" he asked as if kissing the plasma was absurd, which was what I was doing. I got up and put my hands on my hips.

"I'm just reminding the plasma that I love her," I said.

"Her?"

"Ya. I named her Coco," I said proudly then walked into the bedroom blew out a low whistle.

"That's one biiiiiiiiiig bed," I said, my eyes wide.

And it was. The bed was like ginormous. Like the biggest king-sized bed I've ever seen. A smooth sheet covered the blanket and the material melted in my hands, not literally but it felt like it.

I heard a smash in the kitchen and blew out an exasperated breath. I walked back into the lounge room to see Raiden standing there with his hands on the handles of a cupboard while he stared down at the three plates now in pieces at his feet. And yes his toes were bleeding now too.

"For goodness sake, Raiden, you can't stay away from the things that hurt you, can ya!" I exclaimed. He frowned and looked at me over his shoulders.

"I didn't hurt myself," he protested.

"Look at your toes bozo," I pointed at his toes. He looked down and was surprised. I slapped my hand to my forehead.

"Raiden," I growled. I pointed to the couch. "Sit."

He made his way quickly to me and he sat down.

I grabbed the first air kit. "This won't hurt a bit."

**OoOoOoOo**

…

…**.**

I'm surprised no one called an ambulance or the police or even the fire truck for that matter. Raiden was screaming by the time I was finished bandaging up his wounds. I bandaged his toes first and it didn't really bother him that much. But the burn is a different story. I washed the burn then put an ice pack on it to help the skin cool down and to stop the burning process. Then I applied a healing cream, which stung his skin so much that he screamed. I couldn't help him and felt so helpless. He said to stay by his side until the pain went away. Only a few hours later did it minimize in pain. After that we both lay down on the couch. Both of us were on our sides and I lay in front of him with my back against his bare chest. After the cream dried I bandaged his arm where he burnt himself so it wouldn't get it infected. He had second-degree burns and I was grateful that he didn't have third degree burns. Then we'd be in trouble.

He wrapped his good arm around my waist and pulled me tight against his body.

We were watching Poseidon and our eyes were glued to the TV.

"That's one big wave," Raiden said when the tidal wave came on the TV. I nodded.

I moved so that my back was faced down on the couch. Raiden's head was only millimeters above mine on the pillow we shared. I leaned my head against his. He kissed my cheek and snuggled closer to me.

We had forgotten about the movie and now were staring into each other's eyes.

I stared deep into his eyes and wondered about _us_.

I knew that Dimitri had moved on and now was expecting a child. So does that mean I should move on too? Forget about Dimitri and start over with a man willing enough to sacrifice him to save me. Those kinds of men were worth staying with forever.

I wondered.

I wondered if my feelings towards Raiden were as strong as his were towards me. He loved me. I knew that was certain.

But the question was, did I love him enough?

I love him. Always will but it was different than the love I shared with Dimitri. He and I were inseparable. Nothing could stand in our way. Except Tasha obviously.

Anger shot through my eyes and I looked away. Raiden noticed my mood immediately.

He caressed the side of my face soothingly and said, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head hastily. "Nothing."

He narrowed his eyes at me and sat up a little to hover over me.

"If it's nothing then why are you upset? Tell what's wrong? Did someone hurt you while you were at the Court?"

Yes, and very badly. But what do I care anyway? Dimitri moved on so you can move on. That's that.

I looked back at him and took Raiden's face in my hands and brought his lips to mine fiercely. I kissed him as hard as I could and if I still were a dhampir I would have a split my lip. He felt my mood changing and immediately pulled away. I fell back against the couch and he was still hovering over me.

"I want more," I growled and tried to reach for his face again but he held both of my hands above my head. I struggled against his grip but I knew it was impossible to break it.

When I stopped struggling he spoke.

"First you're angry, then you're upset and now you want to kiss me? That doesn't sound like you, Rose. I'm starting to get really worried," he said seriously.

I cringed. I didn't want him to be worried but I also didn't like where this conversation was going either.

He took a deep breath and continued. "While you were away I heard all about Belikov. Avery told me everything. How you two love each other, how you told her you two made love. I just wanted to say that if you want to be with him more than you do with me then you can go back. I won't force you or anything but I need to know, Rose. I need to know if you love me or you love him. It's possible to love two people, I know. But what I'm saying is would you stay with me or would you rather be with him?" he asked carefully.

Wait till I get my hands on Avery!

How dare she tell him! Why did she? To hurt him? Because she sure did a good job with that!

I gave a shuddering breath and faced my fears and looked up at him. He deserved the truth.

"I love you, Raiden. I really do. Dimitri and I were something special but…now he's with someone else. Someone that's probably better for him. She's a Moroi and he can be her guardian. That was the problem with us. We were both guardians and knew we had to put our Moroi first. But we couldn't. I've realized that we would have never worked out no matter how much I wanted it to be. I need to move on. Being Strigoi woke me up and now I know that we could never had worked and I thought I'd never get over him. Then I met you," I said and cupped his face. He smiled slightly at the end of my speech but I wasn't finished.

"You showed me that Strigoi can love, Raiden, and I never thought that possible. I thought Strigoi were guiltless and unloving but you made me see that none of that it true. I am able to love you as a Strigoi and now matter what I ever turn into again, I will always love you," I whispered.

Whoa, emotional much. I was having a hard time not to cry.

He smiled softly at me and leaned down to kiss my forehead before embracing me tight.

I kissed his head and sighed in content.

This was where I knew I belonged. In Raiden's arms.

Forever.

**A/N: This story is so far from over peoples :P So don't think I'm ending it because it SO not finished yet :)**

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire71**

**xoxox**


	23. Chapter 23: The chase was on

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 23**

**Rose's POV**

I'd never look at him the same ever again.

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

It was our third night at the hotel. I was getting weaker and weaker by the day. I needed blood and so did Raiden.

"This is ridiculous. We need to feed," he sighed that night.

I nodded in agreement. Because Strigoi can't sleep I daydreamed of drinking blood, which didn't help. It only made my thirst less bearable.

"Let's go," he said abruptly and jumped up from the couch. I stood up with him.

"Where are we going to hunt?" I asked.

He shrugged and leaned down on the couch to get his jumper. "Humans are everywhere."

I scrunched my nose up as if I smelt something bad. "Moroi sounds better don't you think?"

He threw me a lazy grin that made him look sexy.

"Yeah but there might not be Moroi where we're going."

"And where are we going?" I asked, following him out the door.

"In this alleyway where homeless people are," he said and smiled, flashing me his fangs. I smiled seductively back at him, also showing my fangs.

"Great."

Unfortunately, we had to put in those uncomfortable eye contacts. But we needed a disguise and this was it.

We passed Melissa and gave her friendly smiles, which she returned. When we walked outside I glanced up at the shining stars and grinned.

"What?" Raiden chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked at him and shrugged.

"Nothing," I said and pecked his lips. When I pulled away he bent forward again to capture my lips but I pulled back mockingly.

"We need to feed," I reminded him.

Like always Raiden was stubborn and gave me a great huff then walked in front of me and wouldn't turn around when I told him to wait up. He only increased his speed. When we walked down an alleyway, he still didn't acknowledge me. I playfully jumped on his back and kissed his cheek. He turned his face towards me and smiled.

"Damn, she's one fiiiiiiine looking girl," someone said.

I looked up from Raiden and saw two guys walking towards us. They had to be a year older than me. And they were homeless. They wore rags and one of them had a rotten apple in his hand. He saw me look at it he bit into it, letting the rotten juice drip down on his rags. I tried not to gag. They stopped a few feet away and their eyes were glued onto my body.

Perverts, I thought disgustedly and slid off Raiden's back to stand next to him.

"You're right, man. Check out her curves and-"

"The more you talk about her, the more ugly you're face is going to get when I'm finished with you," Raiden snarled.

The one on the right scoffed. "You're not gonna share?"

The other guy nodded. "Be nice and share the lady."

This was bad.

Not bad for me. It was bad for the guys that kept making Raiden angrier and angrier. See, the thing is when Raiden gets angry I seriously try to stay away from him. He goes out of control.

He stepped forward and his hands formed into tight fists at his sides. I could just imagine him beating the crap out of the boys.

"She's mine. Touch her and you-"

The one on the right ran at me and got ready to pull me on the ground.

"Wrong move," I said a second before my fist collided with his face. I heard a series of cracks before the guy stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, dead.

The blow would have cracked his skull.

The guy that was remaining cried out in anguish. I looked up to see Raiden strangling him and his grip around the guy's neck crumpled his neck, and Raiden beheaded him.

Time to eat. I drank all the blood from the guy I killed while Raiden drank from the other guy.

Once done, I stood up straight and wiped my mouth, feeling stronger than before. I made my way to Raiden, who was dumping the bodies in the rubbish bins. After that he turned and lifted me in his arms. He pushed me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. He shoved me hard against the building and kissed me roughly. I loved it when he did that. I cupped his face with my hands while one of his hands supported my lower back and the other was in my hair.

He moaned as I deepened the kiss. I didn't think the night could get any better. Because we were in an alleyway and it was night we could easily bend in with the shadows. We took our contacts off and I was just about to reach for Raiden's shirt and rip it off when I heard footsteps. And alot of them.

Raiden's whole figure tensed up. He pulled away from the kiss but was still holding me. His eyes darted to the direction of where the footsteps were coming from and his lips formed into a firm straight line. His eyes held fear when he looked back at me. I frowned.

"What going on?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

I didn't get an answer because just then a group of people came in sight and they were all Strigoi.

Some held guns, but most held metal bats. There had to be at least fifteen and there were women among them too.

They walked towards us with their heads held high and their posture was straight. They looked tough and suddenly that made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Raiden unwrapped my legs around him and backed away from me and stood in the middle of the alleyway. I moved beside him and I noticed how he put himself not completely infront of me, but enough and in a way that made me think he wanted me to shut up.

Fine, I could understand that.

The Strigoi stopped a couple of meters away and regarded me with caution. All except one.

The man in the front was the one. I blinked at him, having a hard time believing what I was seeing. What I found scary was the resemblance between him and Raiden. They looked completely the same. The same hairstyle, the same gorgeous eyes, the same muscular bodies.

Like identical twins. The only difference was that the guy had a scar on his right cheek. It wasn't huge but it was visible.

His eyes were calculating as he stared at me, then they shifted to Raiden's and his lips broke into a wide smile.

"Hello, little brother," he said. Even his voice sounded like Raiden's.

"Tallon," Raiden whispered.

I keep looking from Raiden to Tallon.

Tallon's name sent shivers down my spine. I had a feeling that he wasn't exactly a good guy. Ofcourse Strigoi aren't good guys, but Tallon…there was something dark about him. Real dark.

"Where you been? We've missed you," Tallon said. It sounded like he was mocking Raiden.

Raiden narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "If you missed me you should have visited, not me always having to go to you."

Tallon shrugged. "We've been busy," he said simply.

Raiden gave him a sour look. "Clearly," he said sarcastically.

Tallon narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked even more dangerous than Raiden did, if that were even possible.

Raiden shifted his position again, moving closer to me, which brought back Tallon's attention on me.

He nodded to me and looked expectantly at Raiden.

"Who is she?" he asked.

Raiden's hand grasped mine tightly. I squeezed our hands together to comfort him.

"This is Rose," Raiden said.

Tallon's eyes went back to mine. He then took a step forward and left his group behind him while he kept walking towards me. Only a meter away did he stop and held out his hand towards me.

"I'm Tallon, Raiden's older brother," he said politely. I shook his hand firmly then let my hand fall.

"You're two minutes older than me," Raiden said, rolling his eyes.

I grinned and said, "Rose Hathaway."

Tallon nodded. "I've heard so much about you. Did you and Raiden finally get together?" he teased.

I looked up at Raiden and raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

He shrugged. "Yeah, we're together. Finally," Raiden winked at me.

Tallon snickered. He was so much like Raiden that it surprised me.

I playfully hit Raiden's shoulder. "You never told me you were a twin."

He looked down sheepishly. "I…um, forgot to mention it."

"And that both of you are Strigoi too," I said looking back at Tallon.

He nodded. "He turned after me. I was actually the one who changed him."

My eyes widened. "You changed Raiden?"

I tried not to look as shocked as I really felt.

He nodded. "Yep. I talked him into it. It was the best decision he has ever made. Oh, and the other decision that he did a week or so ago."

"What decision was that?" I asked curiously.

I noticed that at that moment, Raiden stiffened. I cast a worried look at him, before looking back at Tallon.

Tallon shoved his hands in his jumper pockets.

"Oh, just to kidnap a little girl from the coven he joined. I personally think it's a good idea. The coven was causing quite a commotion with our friends in Spain. There are like what? Twenty Strigoi in that coven. And one kills likes two humans a day…" he kept talking but I couldn't listen anymore. My eyes were glued onto Raiden's. He stared back at me with eyes that held two things: fear and guilt.

My mouth formed a shocked 'O' shape and I started to back away from him. Tallon stopped talking in mid-sentence and noticed me retreating slowly. He stared at me with confusion. But I didn't care.

Raiden's eyes had gotten wide with shock as I moved away from him.

He reached out to grab my arm but I moved even further away.

"Rose…" Raiden started.

"It was you," I whispered.

My thoughts were running wild with shock. I couldn't think straight. I had to stop walking so that I could try to calm myself but it didn't work.

"You took Maggie," I stated, betrayal was thick in my voice.

His eyes couldn't even reached my eyes any more, and then they looked down at his feet.

Tallon held up both hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on here, Raiden? Why is she-"

"I FUCKING TRUSTED YOU! IT WAS YOU! ALL THIS FUCKING TIME, RAIDEN? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME-" Raiden interrupted me. I have never been so angry in my entire life. Not even this angry, not even hurt when I saw Dimitri and Tasha in prison, or when Lissa defended Dimitri and told me to back off that first time. I couldn't believe what was going on.

Raiden…sweet Raiden was the one who took Maggie.

"Rose! Please, hear me out!" Raiden cried and ran at me and gripped my shoulders with his hands.

I shook my head viciously and did something that I'd regret later. I punched Raiden in the face, sending him flying into his brother.

I didn't have time to worry about him. I ran down the alleyway and turned the sharp corner, hearing Raiden cry out my name.

I ran out on the street where there were tones of cars all stuck in traffic. I started to dodge the cars.

The last thing I heard of Raiden would haunt me forever.

"ROSE!" Raiden cried before running after me without any hesitation. I could hear his brother giving orders and him and his group joined Raiden in hunting me down.

I narrowed my eyes and concentrated.

I ran across a field where there was a park on the side. I looked back briefly to see Raiden not that far behind me. When our eyes met, he increased in speed. And so did I. My head whipped back so that I could see infront off me.

_Now is your time to show that you're faster than him, Rose._

The chase was on.

**A/N: Sorry for not updating. I wanted this chapter to be perfect for you all :) so it kinda took me a while.**

**Please review :)**

**Littlewerepire7**

**xoxox**


	24. Chapter 24: I don't want to let you go

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 24**

**Rose's POV**

You'd think that Strigoi don't get tired easily, yet here I am running for my life and extremely puffed out. I haven't stopped running. Dawn was on its way and Raiden wasn't far behind me. He continually shouted my name and begged me to stop but I wouldn't listen. The only thing that kept me going was my anger. I was so upset and so angry. I told myself that it wasn't true. Raiden wasn't the bad guy in this situation. But he was.

All this time. Ever since the first time I met Raiden he was evil.

Oh god, the text. The text he sent his brother that day where we started having a thing for each other, even though I denied it.

He was planning this all along.

All fucking along and I didn't even see it.

_That's because you were blinded by his charm and incredible hot body just like he wanted you to feel, _said that annoying voice inside of me.

For once I actually believed it.

This was all to get back at the coven. He used me.

I looked back again to see Raiden closer than before. His brother was far behind him with his group of Strigoi.

Raiden and I were exceptionally fast runners. Always were. And now it was difficult to prove I was the faster runner when I desperately needed to rest. Human blood filled me up only a quarter of the way. I felt so weak.

I made a bad decision and turned right so that I was going further away from the city. Houses surrounded me. I stopped very briefly but cussed when Raiden picked up speed and took the advantage I just gave him. I knew he knew I was running out of energy, which was a big advantage to him.

That's it. I can't take it any more.

Infront of me were little shops. There was a take-away shop, Antique shop and other food markets. I breathed out in relief. I'd hide in one of them.

"Shit," I said under my breath.

Raiden would see me.

I ran at the back of the shops and I almost cried out in joy. At the back of the antique shop was an old wooden door that was open a fraction of the way. I ran at it and slid through the door in seconds with Raiden right behind me. By him going in after me made the door open wider. I turned back at him.

We were both breathing hard and staring intently at one another. I watched his every move as he watched mine. I took a step back and he took one forward. Outside I heard shouting coming from Tallon, calling Raiden's name.

My voice was shaking so bad, I'd be surprised that Raiden heard it.

I pointed to the door, still looking at him. This is where I'd truly test him.

"If you ever loved me then go tell your brother that I'm not here. Because we both know what would happen if he found me," I said, my voice breaking a few times. Tallon would probably kill me.

Raiden's whole body was shaking from the run and he was looking at me with such sorrow that I felt the need to comfort him, but I didn't. I stayed in my place.

He nodded slowly and took a few shuddering steps so he was out the door. He closed it three-quarters of the way.

I was in the storage room and quickly realized that this room would be under close watch. I searched for the camera and cussed when I saw it was in the corner where the door was. I'd knock it down when Raiden gets back in.

"She's not here," I heard Raiden call out.

"Did you see which direction she went in?" Tallon asked. He sounded like he was a few blocks down from the shop.

"Yeah, she took off in the direction of those houses. I need a break. Fuck, my body is on fire and I can barely breathe," Raiden said angrily.

"We'll find her. Catch your breath then come after us. If you take too long then I'll come back. Don't think about going back to that coven. If she gets away then she'll go back to them. Stay with us for awhile until we figure out what to do," Tallon called. I heard faint footsteps and heard the group leave.

A few minutes later, Raiden walked back in and locked the door. I took off my shoe and threw it at the camera hard. I watched with satisfaction as it crumbled to the ground.

Now we have some privacy.

After putting my shoe back on I looked up at him and saw he was bent over and had his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

The site of him still took my breath away but I wasn't going to admit that to him. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms on my chest and stared at him blankly. Once he straightened up, he grimaced at me.

I asked the first of many questions. "Why?"

He flinched and looked like his legs couldn't hold him up. He went over to the bench not far from the door and heaved himself onto it. He looked back at me and bit his lip.

"I…" he started then sighed.

My jaw tightened in anger and my eyes flared.

"This whole time you've been lying to me."

He shook his head, which made strands of his hair fell over his eyes.

"Not true," he said.

I raised my eyebrow in mock-surprise.

"Oh? So you didn't lie to me about kidnapping Maggie? No ofcourse not. That must have slipped from your mind," I said sarcastically.

"I meant I wasn't lying when I told you I love you all those times," he said quietly.

I tried not to show any emotion. But what he said made my heart pound faster. I looked away, unable to look him in the eye or else I'd show him how much he hurt me.

"You stole Maggie because your brother had friends in Spain that our…that _my_ coven has been disrupting. So you go take Maggie. The youngest in my family? That's my coven's punishment?" I said with disgust.

This whole situation made me sick.

"They're my family too," he said carefully.

My head whipped in his direction and I bared my teeth, something I'd never done to him before. He cringed.

"How dare you say that after everything you've done?" I growled.

He gulped and started to look really uncomfortable. He stared down at his hands when he spoke.

"I didn't have a choice. It was either one or the whole coven, Rose. Would you rather them all trapped or just one?" he challenged and looked up at me. I threw my hands up in the air and let them fall.

"Why not me? Why take Maggie?" I asked exasperatedly.

He went still and glared at me.

"You think I'd want you to be in Maggie's position? They aren't hurting her but it's not like she's at a luxury hotel. They aren't feeding her. She's not to have any blood. They're making her wild for blood and then let her loose in the middle of nowhere," he exclaimed.

That's when I blew. I knew I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me but already I flung myself across the room and pushed Raiden's body down on the bench hard. His head smashed against the hard bench and he blinked in surprise. I got on top on his stomach and put my full weight against him. I grasped his hands in one of mine above his head while my other hand gripped his shoulder.

"Where is she?" I hissed.

He struggled against me so I gripped his shoulder harder.

"I don't know," he protested. I lowered my face closer to his. I didn't show my fangs threateningly at him but if he continued to act like this I will.

"Then tell me what you do know," I snapped.

I felt him release his hands from my grip so now he was free. I blinked in surprise and was shoved unto the bench. He slid on my waist just like I did with him.

Ah shit.

I didn't bother fight him. He gripped my shoulders while I roughly dug my nails into his upper back.

He moaned and threw his head back slightly.

The site was amazingly beautiful and I would have blushed at the thought if I could.

He stared down at me with more than grief but desire. I sucked in a shocked gasp as he leaned down and our lips almost touched.

"I will give Maggie back to you as soon as I can, but I can't now. Tallon watches my every move. He sets up cameras everywhere and especially around Maggie's cell. He's got Strigoi that actually watch 24/7 over the whole building," he said.

I shook my head. "She'll die, Raiden."

This time he shook his head quickly. "I won't let her. I am doing everything I can to let Tallon release her. He said to only keep her for another two months."

"Two months is too long," I complained.

I could just imagine Levina without Maggie. She'd be so depressed. She treated Maggie as one of her own and loved to braid Maggie's blonde hair.

I squeezed my eyes closed. No, don't think that. Raiden will give her back.

"How do I know that I can still trust you?" I whispered, opening my eyes again.

His face was much closer than before.

"Do you still love me?" he asked, kissing my cheek.

"Yes," I said after a moment of hesitation.

"Then you have to trust me. I made a mistake, Rose-"

"Huge mistake," I added.

"- and I understand if you don't want to be with me any more but hear me out okay? I love you. I always have and always will. Do you understand?" he asked, leaning back to see my face better.

I nodded reluctantly.

"That doesn't mean what you did doesn't hurt, Raiden."

He nodded. "I know."

"Will Tallon attack our coven?" I asked.

"No," he assured.

I sighed with relief.

He leaned back and searched his pocket for his phone. Grabbing it out, he checked the time and swore.

"It's been thirty minutes."

"Tallon would be on his way now. He probably thinks something is wrong," I said, getting up and stretching my stiff back.

He stood by my side and rested his hand on my lower back.

"Yeah, which means you got to go now," he said softly. I looked up at him.

"Take the money," he said, handing over all the money he collected. I nodded and tried not to dry sob. I hated it when I got emotional.

"Hey," he said softly, cupping my face in his hands. "Everything is going to turn out right, okay?"

"Yeah," I said lamely.

He bit his lip and looked down at my lips. Realization sunk in me that he wanted to kiss me but was afraid that I'd pull back. Technically, he was my enemy now. He was on one side of the fight and I was on the other. Kissing him wouldn't feel right but when I stood on my tippy-toes and pecked his lips, my thoughts vanished as I leaned in again.

We kissed passionately for what seemed like forever. His arms held me in an embrace that made me feel safe but ended all too quickly.

"I don't want to let you go," he said against my lips.

"I know. But it's not like we aren't going to see each other again," I said, pulling away.

"I know, but that isn't going to be in like three days. It would be weeks before we see each other," he protested.

He went out of the door first, scanning the area before beckoning me to follow. We ran to the front of the shop where I saw a bus that was pulled over to let passengers in. It was about an hour until dawn.

He cupped my face again and we shared our last kiss.

Regrettably I pulled away and ran for the bus, never turning back.

**A/N: I think I'm going to go with this ending that I came up with and so the story will continue into a sequel, but not yet :)**

**Please review :D**

**Littlewerepire7**


	25. Chapter 25: I missed her so much

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 25**

**Rose's POV**

Two months had passed. There's been no sight of Maggie or Raiden.

My faith in him was fading by each day. I kept telling myself that he was truthful when he said that two months was the dead line and then Maggie would go free.

Yeah well in this case I consider that as a load of bullshit.

My bedroom door swung open and Ray came in with two papers in his hands. He shut the door quietly behind him then sat down at the edge of my bed.

He held up the papers and pointed to them. "Guess what this is?"

"Paper, dumbass," I said, punching him on the shoulder playfully.

He sighed, exasperated. "It's what's on the paper."

He handed it over to me. I looked down at the first sheet and saw there was a clear print of a prison. I looked up at him.

"What's this?"

"It's where I think Maggie is being held," he said.

I sat up straight completely caught off guard.

"Wait, what?" I stuttered.

On the picture was the front entrance of a ghastly looking prison that looked to be flooded with security guards. The gates to the prison stood high and the barbed wire surrounded the top of the fences making everything look caged in. A true 'prison' effect.

I sighed. "You think the Strigoi are keeping Maggie in there?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"What makes you so sure?"

He pointed to a man that was standing infront of the gate.

"Look at him."

I did.

His black hair was tucked under a cap, shading the side of his face, his skin was pale and his eyes were a dark colour. The cap provided shade for only half his face, which then darkened one of his eyes. I squinted my eyes and took a closer look at the exposed eye.

They were blood red.

Pale skin, blood red eyes.

Strigoi.

"I guess we have a lead," I admitted.

"Not only do we have a lead, we have reason to believe she's in there and guess which lucky Strigoi is going to walk in there and find her," Ray smirked.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

**RAIDEN'S POV**

"Damn, Jenna! I thought you said you had it covered!" I shouted at my younger sister, running in her direction.

She turned her head in my direction and hissed. "I got it under control!" she retorted.

One of the feeders cracked and now was having a crazy fit. He was shouting and gripping his head while running in every direction.

"He's total lost control!" shouted my other younger sister, Hayley.

"No shit!" Jenna yelled after jumping on the feeder. He was struggling against her so I quickly got on my knees before them and grabbed the feeder by the hair and brought his head to ground hard. He died seconds after.

I bared my teeth at my little sister. "You said you wouldn't drink from him!"

"I didn't feed from him!" Jenna spat. "It was Tallon."

Speaking of the devil, I thought after turning my head in the direction of approaching footsteps. Tallon rounded a corner and saw the commotion before him. He gave a satisfied smile when he saw the dead feeder on the ground. I stepped away from the dead feeder and approached Tallon. I pointed back at the feeder.

"You think this is funny?" I growled. "Now we need to get another feeder!"

Tallon rolled his eyes. "It's not the end of the world, Raiden. There are plenty of humans around here to kidnap."

"What happened to keeping a low profile? We can't have the police thinking we're trouble. That would ruin everything."

Tallon grinned dangerously. "You've lost you're evil touch, Raiden. I can't wait to get my hands around that Rose and take my revenge on her for destroying my baby brother," he smirked.

My first collided with his nose and I heard a low crunch. I withdrew my fist as Tallon fell back against the wall he was leaning against. He clutched his nose while looking at me with aggravation.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her, understand?" I barked.

Tallon stood up and now we were face to face. Hayley came up and separated us and put herself in between Tallon and I.

"You guys are brother-"

"He doesn't know the meaning of that word," I hissed.

"Look who's talking! Where have you been all this time, huh? Hiding in Rose's shadow-"

"Stop it!" Hayley shouted as I went to throw another punch at him.

She grabbed my fist and flung it away from Tallon. I was tempted to push her out of the way but my uncle decided to show up right then.

He was the leader of this coven, which meant that we'd follow his orders or get either kicked out of the coven or be killed. He wouldn't kill a member of his family, which was Tallon, my two sisters and me. It was the other coven members that had to be careful.

He strode into the room, followed by Nadia, a girl that has had a crush on me ever since I came into the coven. I had no interest in her, yet she still didn't seem to get that through her thick head.

"Nadia tells me there's trouble amongst my family," Uncle said looking from Tallon to me.

I knew he'd blame it on me. This whole mission crashed because of me. Tallon told him that Rose got away and probably went back to her coven to tell them that we've got Maggie. Even though she doesn't know the location of where Maggie and I even am, I had a feeling Rose had a plan to track me down.

I let her down. It's been two moths and I haven't had the chance to free Maggie. Uncle changed his mind and said he'd keep her as a prisoner. For how long? I'm not sure.

Which pretty much stuffs my plan up.

I haven't seen Rose in two months. I'm in agony without her and desperately need her to hold me in her tight embrace where I always felt so safe in. She protected me from everything. She protected me from that stake that should had pierced me but didn't because of her. She saved me.

And I saved her.

Now, I felt the need for her to save me again from the hole of darkness I've returned to: home.

Home was classified as Hell to me.

My real home was with Rose and it will always be with her. Never anywhere else.

Now with Uncle looking at me waiting for an explanation, I didn't care about his rules.

I stood my ground and looked up without a trace of fear.

"I no longer feel like I belong here. To come to think of it, I never belonged here. This is your home," I turned to Tallon and pointed to him, "and you're home but is it mine? I don't think so," I said, turning back to Uncle.

He narrowed his eyes at me and his lips formed a sneer.

"You're grown weak! Undisciplined! I knew it was a bad idea to let you go on that assignment. That Strigoi has made you pathetic!" he spat.

His was talking about my Rose. My eyes darkened in fury.

"Being with Rose was the best thing that ever happened to me. And don't tell me that I'm weak because I'm sure you felt pathetic and worthless right after you lost Maria!" I yelled.

I knew mentioning my aunt's name was a shock that everyone experienced in the room. She died in a guardian attack, which made my uncle's hatred for the guardians increase. He has forbidden everyone in mentioning her name, or else he'd go weak and blame himself for the situation all over again.

"Raiden!" Tallon scowled.

I was breathing hard and staring into my uncle's eyes that now filled with anger.

He lifted his hand and backhanded me across the face. And hard.

I flew into the wall across the feeder's room. The impact took breath my breath out of my lungs as I fell to the floor.

I coughed and briefly saw Tallon walking towards me.

"Take him to his chamber. I can't stand the site of him at the moment," my Uncle said and forwarded out the door with my sisters and Nadia on his tail.

I vaguely felt Tallon drag me to my room and walked me to the bed. He left wordlessly and slammed the door shut.

I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled out the only possession I brought from my last trip with Rose. A picture of her and me.

I remembered it perfectly. I closed my eyes and pictured the moment.

**FLASHBACK**

"**Smile, Rose," I sang, holding up a camera near her face. She chucked a pillow at me and giggled. I caught it before it could hit my face and leaned closer to her on our bed.**

"**I said smile for the camera," I growled seductively.**

**She rolled her eyes but leaned in so that our heads leaned against each other. At the last second before I took the picture she turned her head and kissed my cheek. The camera flashed. **

**I looked at her and gave her the **_**look**_**. She just smiled angelically up at me. **

**END OF FLASHBACK**

I remembered it just like it was yesterday. I leaned down and kissed Rose in the picture. When I brought my lips away I bit my lip, trying to contain my sobs as I remembered every moment I spent with her.

I missed her so much. There were no words to describe how I felt at that moment.

All I needed and wanted was Rose.

Everything else seemed to far away to care about at that moment.

**A/N: HIYA EVERYBUDDI! **

**Btw thanks danny ;) **

**I'm so happy that I got a fan :D**

**If you want to see what Raiden's sisters look like, just look on my profile. But it might take awhile because I just put the pictures up now. **

**PLEASE review**

**You are all doing really well with reviewing!**

**Littlewerepire7**


	26. Chapter 26: New feeder

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 26**

**Raiden's POV**

A week has passed since my uncle backhanded me. When I'm on guard outside Tallon mocks me of that day. I ignore him but he knows that I have a temper and continues to do it, to see if I loose control.

I haven't looked into my uncle's eyes ever since that day. In fact, I've gone out of my way to avoid him in ever way possible.

Nadia started noticing. She purposely went out of her way to 'accidentally' bump into me on my break. I was in the prison's cafeteria with my cup half full of blood and wasn't in the mood for an interruption as I sat at the furthest table.

After she apologized and giggled stupidly before joining me at the table, she sighed.

"Seriously, Raiden. Just get over it," she said infuriatingly.

"Have you considered shutting up for a change?" I responded, raising my eyebrows.

"You're funny," she said sarcastically. "Now as I was saying-"

"Look, Nadia. I don't care what you think about this situation. You have no idea what's going on. So stop running up to my uncle and asking him for information that's none of your business," I retorted.

"Someone woke on the wrong side on the bed today," Hayley teased, coming from behind me and sitting down in the chair next to me.

"Strigoi don't sleep, fruit loop," I teased back.

She giggled and leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"So how's my brother?" she asked after leaning back on her chair. She had her arms folded across her chest and was waiting for an answer. I shrugged.

"Bored. Can't complain much."

She gave me a sad smile and patted my shoulder comfortingly. "You should go on patrol with me and Tallon tomorrow. Then at least gets you're out of this place," she said, scrunching her nose with disgust.

"Hey, what's wrong with living in a prison? I think it's cool," Nadia piped in.

"You're definition of cool must be pretty fucked up then," I muttered.

Hayley burst out laughing, hitting the table with her fist twice.

"Oh buuuuuuuuuuuurn," Hayley said teasingly.

Nadia sneered at me, which I ignored.

"What's so funning, sis?" Jenna asked, joining us with Tallon on her heels. They both sat down opposite to me and my eyes briefly met Tallon's. I nodded once to him then looked away.

"Raiden's just being good ol' Raiden," Nadia snarled.

I rolled my eyes.

"Raiden said something funny, that's all," Hayley defended me, giving Nadia a dark look. Nadia held her hands up in surrender.

"Hey, he was being a jerk to me," Nadia said defensively.

"Whatever," Hayley sighed.

I couldn't look away this time as my eyes went to Tallon again. He looked different. He looked strained, under pressure. I frowned at him, which was our way of asking what's wrong to one another.

He slowly got up and gestured for me to come with him. Before I could ask why, he was already walking towards the massive door, which then led to the main office. I sighed, dragging my chair back and jumped out of my seat.

"See you in a second," I said mostly to my sisters.

Their goodbye's consisted of 'yeah okay' and 'see you soon', whereas Nadia's was "jerk'.

I snickered, pleased that I annoyed her.

I forwarded out of the cafeteria without another word and hurried to Tallon. It was nighttime so he didn't worry about following Tallon outside. I saw a Ute parked inside the prison. Uncle was talking to the driver when Tallon and I made it to his side.

"-never ordered for a replacement for our last feeder," was what I first heard of their conversation. I looked at the passenger and saw that she was a girl. That wasn't a good sign. We usually went for male feeders so that the male members in our coven wouldn't play around with the women too much. Our feeders, like our last one, were driven mad after a lot of biting. We don't know why but it wasn't something that was looked into yet. It's not like the coven's busy enough.

"Yes, but I'm giving this feeder to you for free," the driver said with an Indian accent.

Uncle sighed. "I understand that, but how did you even know about Strigoi being here?"

"We're a local and have driven passed your prison a lot of times. Mira here would very much like to be a feeder for your group of Strigoi here," the driver responded.

Uncle regarded the feeder with suspicion. She never looked up. Her blonde hair covered her face so we couldn't see her properly.

Tallon piped in. "If we take her in you will not speak a word about our settlement here, understand?"

"If you do, we'll hunt you down and kill you after strapping you to a chair so you have to watch that girl die first," I added.

I saw a flash of surprise on Uncle's and Tallon face as they watched me threaten the driver.

I was acting ofcourse. No way were Uncle and my brother in my good books but I didn't particularly want to stand out here all night, waiting for my Uncle to make a decision.

Uncle finally agreed and ordered for the feeder to get out of the Ute.

"Raiden, take the feeder up to your room. You may have the first drink from the girl. Then place her in the feeder's room," Uncle said.

I nodded and walked around the Ute to grab the feeder's arm and led her through the front doors. As we walked in, a few men were standing inside and eyeing the feeder with hungry eyes.

I shuddered inwardly and quickened my pace.

After we went up a flight of stairs and forwarded into my room, I gestured towards my bed after closing my door.

"Sit. I'll go get a cloth," I said, so that I could wipe away the excess blood from her after I feed.

"That won't be necessary, Raiden. You're not going to feed from me. You're going to tell me where Maggie is," the feeder said.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to her slowly.

I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before.

She disguised herself so well that I could only recognize her voice at first. But then I closely looked at her features. It felt like my heart missed a beat.

The girl standing in front of me pretending to be a feeder was Rose.

**A/N: Dum dum dummmmmmmmmmmmmm**

**Okay, the pictures aren't working. Are they working for you guys? **

**I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**So please review :D**

**Littlewerepire7**


	27. Chapter 27: I need your help

**To danny: Yeah, I think that's a great idea :) You should make an account :)**

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 27**

**Rose's POV**

"Okay, have you got guns?" Sonya asked.

I nodded. "Check."

"Pocket knives?"

"Check."

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

Sonya sighed and brought me into an embrace. She hugged me tightly and whispered into my ear, "No matter what happens, we're right behind you. You fall, signal us and we'll come and get you. We're not far away."

I nodded. "I will."

She pulled back and held me by my shoulders.

"You're like a daughter to me. It's hard to let you go and-"

"I'll be fine. Promise," I grinned at her.

She slowly nodded and stepped back so that Jade and Avery could embrace me at the same time.

"Be safe okay?" Avery said.

"Pfft! Dramatic much," I teased. All three of us burst into giggles.

"Okay, he's the cash," Owen said, holding it out towards me but before I could grab it he pulled out away from my grasp. "All four thousand dollars as you requested," he teased, and then handed it to me.

I snatched it playfully and hugged him. When I pulled away I bit my lip.

They were so good to me. My lip quivered slightly which made Sonya laugh softly.

"Now go before I change my mind," she said softly.

Before getting into the BMW I hugged each family member again. I was hard to let go of them. What I was about to do was extreme and it would be painful. They didn't know where I was going. They just assumed I'd go to that prison. Boy, were they wrong.

It was about three hours before dawn came when I got to the airport. I wore my sunglasses, even though it was nighttime so no one would recognize me, and walked into the airport building and waited in line. An hour later I was on a plane going to Montana.

* * *

To my relief, it was sundown when we landed. I didn't have a problem with dodging around people in the airport building so I got outside without a fuss. I caught a cab to the nearest shopping plaza and got to work.

I needed a disguise.

I went to the most expensive shops, which held gowns and other types of dresses inside. I came out with a silky midnight blue strapless dress that flowed to the floor and bought silky white opera-length gloves. I also bought a pearl necklace that had square-shaped diamonds that patterned with the pearls. I went to the hairdressers so they styled and cut my hair. I came out of the shops with three huge bags in my hands and one fine looking haircut.

Now all I needed to do is get to the Court.

**ADRIAN'S POV**

I, along with everyone else, gave a round of applause as my aunt, Tatiana, preceded into the room. This ball was a celebration for finalizing the new law: guardians graduate at the age of sixteen. I was standing next to Lissa with Christian on her other side and Mia was on the other side of me. All four of us were mortified about it. Actually, al five of us if you include Dimitri.

We solemnly made our way towards a corner table and huddled next to each other. Dimitri made his way to us as well.

"They've all lost their minds," he spat bitterly. I shrugged.

"They're royals. What do you expect," I said.

"Are you insulting yourself, Adrian?" Christian challenged playfully.

I sneered at him. "You wish."

The crowd broke out in another applause and they all started to dance. Some guardians even started to sway with some of the Moroi. I was about to ask Dimitri to go find Tasha, but I figured it wasn't right.

The party moved on slowly and hardly any of us said anything to each other. Lissa barely talked any more. She barely smiled. Laughing was out of the question. Even Christian couldn't do a thing about it.

I sighed and leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling but frowned. There was someone standing behind me in the way. She was blocking my view of the ceiling. But that's not what startled me. She had red eyes and pale skin and a seductive smile playing on her lips.

Rose.

**LISSA'S POV**

I saw Adrian flung himself forward and scrambled around to see a figure behind him. His sudden movements shocked us all. I couldn't see the person who scared him because of the lighting, but as she made her way across to me my eyes slowly adjusted.

She was in a beautiful dress on that went with the gloves she wore. Her hair was done up in a bun and strands of hair fell down elegantly around her neck in beautiful thin curls.

She leaned near my ear while something freezing touched my back and I flinched. Mia, who was sitting next to me, gasped. Christian stood up instantly and Dimitri was about to grab the person. I turned my head so that I could see the freezing object and my eyes widened when I saw it was a gun. I looked up at the person. I already knew who it was. Rose.

Her eyes scanned the crowd.

"Any one you give me away will have made the biggest mistake in their lives. Now, Belikov, where is a place where there's no guardians?" she asked softly.

Dimitri had his hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"There isn't-"

"Lissa's room?" she interrupted him.

He stood frozen and I felt the gun dig into my back harder and I winced.

"Answer her, Dimitri," Christian begged.

I was shaking with fear as I looked up at Christian. I silently said thank you and I love you to him.

Dimitri shook his head. "No. There are no guardians there."

Rose smiled without showing her fangs. "Good. Now I want you all to get up and walk to Lissa's room together."

We all walked stiffly to the main entrance of the room where we had to explain why we were departing to the guardians guarding the door.

"I'm not feeling too well. May we step outside for a bit?" I said, shakily. The guardians merely nodded and let us pass.

Rose had taken the gun away from me but I knew she'd place it back again if we weren't going to listen to her.

By the time we made it to my room I was shaking uncontrollably. We forwarded in, Rose being the last and locked the door behind her. As assumed, Dimitri took his place before us, protecting the Moroi.

Rose nodded to Dimitri. "Got a stake?"

He regarded her closely. He also didn't answer back.

"Give it to her," she said, gesturing towards me.

I looked up at Dimitri in confusion.

"Why?" Dimitri forced.

"Because she's turning me back into a dhampir."

**ROSE'S POV**

I hated how Dimitri stood there like that. It really ticked me off. What ticked me off even more was when the flashes of Tasha and Dimitri together in the prison came back to me. I shook them away mentally and focused of Lissa.

They looked so tensed back there. I figured I'd sit down and make a nicer approach.

"Lissa, I need your help," I said finally.

She bit her lip before replying. "Why? I mean, how could you want to be back as a dhampir when you're Strigoi? You're evil; you're stuck inside a monster. You're not the same."

"I'm better," I mirrored what Dimitri had said to me when he was Strigoi. He must have remembered because he cringed.

I sighed and stood up.

"I'm in a hurry. A girl that's really important to me needs me. The only way to save her is if you change me. Now can we get things moving?" I said impatiently.

Dimitri brought out his stake but he didn't give it to Lissa.

I huffed in amusement. "If that's the way you want to play it," I said. I ran forward, knocked Dimitri out of the way, grabbed Lissa and flung her across the room so she'd land on her bed hard. Dimitri got to his feet quickly and ran at me but I held my gun up and aimed it at Lissa without even looking at her. I kept my eyes focused on Dimitri.

"There are two choices, Dimitri. You either give the stake to Lissa or I'll kill her," I threatened.

He didn't seem to believe me. I shrugged and pressed down the trigger and fired. Lissa was leaning against the bed, clutching her forehead and the bullet went through the wall a centimeter from her head. She, along with everybody else, cried out.

I still didn't look at her.

Dimitri instantly dropped his stake on the ground and kicked it towards the bed. Lissa frantically picked it up, sobbing uncontrollably and immediately started to charm it. I smirked down at her.

"You owe me a bullet," I said to Dimitri. He opened his mouth but then closed it and shook his head and looked away.

I looked at him with a hint of sadness. "I'm sorry things ended this way. It's probably better this way anyway. I'm with Raiden, while you're with Tasha. The baby is probably going to be pretty cute," I mused.

He turned to me so quickly that it surprised me.

"I'm not-"

I didn't hear the rest of what he said because then I was covered in pain. I looked down to see that Lissa had charmed the stake and now it was through my chest. I've come accustomed to the pain so it wasn't as bad as it was before.

I squeezed my eyes tight yet the light still shined. It was so bright and like last time it vanished as soon as it came.

Last time I was weak. Last time I fell in Dimitri's arms. This time, I wasn't as weak and Lissa grabbed me and dragged me to the bed. I could feel my darkness leaving and desperately tried to hold onto them but it was too late.

It was over.

The process was complete. I was now a dhampir.

Yet there wasn't any real difference except for my lack of carving for blood and my dark side.

I guessed I must have lost consciousness because when my eyes opened Mia, Adrian, Lissa, Christian and Dimitri were all leaned over me. I sat upright and banged head with Adrian's. I rubbed my forehead and groaned in grogginess. I hated it when I was in a crowded place, even though I wasn't claustrophobic.

After that things started to go fuzzy. I vaguely remember attacking Dimitri, extremely surprising him, and then running outside of the building while he wasn't far behind. Then I managed to steal a motorcycle that was in the car park and ride out of the Court's gate without a fuss. Now that was what I called luck.

**A/N: Hi everyone :) **

**That is how Rose became dhampir again and is now currently dhampir at the prison with Raiden. **

**Please review :)**

**Littlewerepire7**


	28. Chapter 28: It's already too late

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 28**

**Rose's POV**

As I stared up at Raiden, all the longing and loneliness were washed away and all I wanted to do was to hug him. I bit my lip and made myself not take another step. I need to get Maggie out. I need to get Maggie out.

But those big eyes got to me and before I could control myself, I threw myself in his arms. He opened his arms for me and held me tightly when his arms closed around me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hid my face in the curve of his neck.

"I can't believe it's you," he whispered in my hair. I kissed his neck softly.

"I figured you'd feel that way," I chuckled. He laughed.

When we pulled away, we didn't let go of each other. His arms were around my waist while my arms were around his neck. Our foreheads were leaned against each other's. We never looked away from each other and despite everything that has happened, I couldn't help smiling at him. He chuckled breathlessly, as if he was a bit embarrassed.

"What?" I asked curiously.

He moved his body closer to me, if that were even possible.

"It's just…you're not Strigoi any more. You'd have to go back to…" he stopped and looked at me with alarm. "Rose, don't tell me you went back to the Court."

My eyes must have given me away because he pulled away from me.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Rose? Lissa could've killed you," he exclaimed.

I put my pointing finger on my lips quickly and shushed him.

"Are you trying to give us away?" I accused. "They don't know it's me, Raiden. So let's try to keep a low profile, shall me?"

He started for the bed and when he sat down on the edge he bent over and leaned against his thighs with his elbows and hid his face in his hands.

"He could have got you," he muttered.

"Who?" I asked, sitting next to him.

"That Dimitri," he spat.

I tried not to flinch at his tone. I knew he hated Dimitri but still, for him to say those two words with such distaste and hatred was beyond hating Dimitri. He hated the fact that Dimitri still had feelings for me. I haven't told Raiden about him and Tasha yet. Maybe when I do, he'll relax a little.

I leaned my head against his back.

"He didn't hurt me. If anything, I was the one that did more of the damage," I joked.

That made him laugh and lift his head up to look at me.

We both grinned at each other and leaned in for another hug.

"So you changed from Strigoi to dhampir to come for Maggie," he stated, laying back on the bed and pulling me on top.

"And you," I said, supporting myself up on his chest so we could still have eye contact.

He closed his eyes briefly then opened then again. His eyes held regret and sorrow that immediately made me confused.

"And don't worry about the whole 'not bringing Maggie back' thing. I've got our family as back up so we can manage getting out of here alive," I said comfortingly.

He nodded his head and sighed in distress. "It's not just getting out of here, Rose. My family is here and they won't stop looking for us if we leave. They'll hurt you to get to me. Probably even kill you. I won't have that, Rose. It's either you're safe or we're not leaving," he said.

I frowned. "But we have to leave. It's not a matter of me being safe any more, Raiden. Maggie is suffering. If not for my sake, do it for her sake," I said, rising from his chest and sitting on his stomach.

It happened so quickly. I guess because I'm not used to not being able to move fast, but at the second, he grabbed me and pushed me down on the bed. I was on my back and he straggled his body over mine.

The fast move blew my breath away. He leaned his face so close to mine that our mouths were almost touching.

"I'm doing this whole thing for your sake, Rose. For your sake, I haven't left this damn prison. You know why? Tallon knows where our family's estate is in Spain. That's the first placed they'd look if I left here. They'd think you'd be there and tear down the whole building if they had to."

I took his face in my hands.

"Raiden, would you rather get out of this separately or together?" I asked him seriously.

"Together, ofcourse," he said, wondering where I was going with this.

"If we were to get out of this together then we have to leave without Tallon's consent-"

"It's not Tallon's consent I'm worried about, Rose. It's my uncle's. He's the leader of this coven. Tallon isn't my only sibling. I have two younger sisters here. Do you now see why I'm worried? They won't give up finding me. Tallon knows your scent. You smell differently as a dhampir but still, your scent is still there. To get to me, he'll look for you," he explained.

I shook my head. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" he challenged.

"If Tallon were a true brother, he'd understand," I snarled.

"You think any brother would want to loose their brother, Rose?" he shot back.

"What if he loved a girl and went off with her. Would you go after him?" I challenged.

"Only if he needed me."

"There you have it. You're a good brother, which means he's-"

"I'm all he's got, Rose!"

I was about to snap something back but stopped. Raiden looked so tired, so frustrated and worn out that I stopped from shouting an insult back.

"He's got your sisters, hasn't he?" I finally said.

He shook his head. "My sisters are my uncle's shadow. They don't break the rules, don't argue when it's not necessary and they do not intend to have their brother dishonor the family, which I'd do if I left," he said, sitting up and gently setting a bit of his weight on my stomach.

I threw my hands up in frustration. "So what now? We are to stay here for how long, Raiden? A month? Maybe even two? If that's the case then tell me now so I can get Maggie out of here with or without you," I said.

It was cruel of me to say that but I needed to make him see sense. Something clicked in him, because he was enable to meet my eyes with his. How could he want to stay here? He'd stay here and only leave if it was the right time? Well that a load of bull-

"Maggie is locked away in a cell that is far beyond your reach. Even mine for that matter," he said softly.

"I don't care. I'll find a way."

He almost smiled. "I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. After all, Tallon does know what you look like."

I shrugged. "Then tell him the truth."

His eyes flared with anger. "You want to give yourself away? Just like that?"

"He's going to be drinking from me, isn't he?"

He cringed. I pushed him off gently so that I could sit up and look him in the eyes easier.

"You do realize that, right? Strigoi will be drinking from me. That'll make me weak and if I get too weak, there's no way of escaping. So you better make your move quick, Raiden, before it's too late," I said.

I heard footsteps and then a brief knock on the door before Tallon came in.

**RAIDEN'S POV**

Tallon walked in as if he owned the place and tapped me on the shoulder.

"You done with her?" he asked solemnly.

I looked at Rose and without any consent from me; she lifted herself from the bed. Tallon already started for the door. She quickly kissed my cheek and whispered. "And I think it's already too late," she said and ducked out the door shortly after Tallon.

I hadn't even processed the thought of other Strigoi drinking from my Rose.

And she was right about one thing: it was already too late.

**A/N: Hiyas :)**

**Thanks for the reviews everybuddi :D**

**Please review**

**Littlewerepire7 xoxox**


	29. Chapter 29: So much for a low profile

**Hi everybuddi :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 29**

**Rose's POV**

The prison smelt like rats and the disgusting odor of carcasses. And from the smell of it, it wasn't animal carcasses that I hoped it would be, but human carcasses. The smell reeked throughout the prison.

Raiden's uncle gave me the luxury of having my own room instead of sharing with the 'old' feeders, whom were all dead.

Around five new feeders came in three days after I came which was a big relief to me. At least the whole coven won't be feeding from me.

The good thing about where my room was situated was that Raiden's room wasn't that far away. We are two corridors away from each other. Usually, he visits during the day when most of the coven is asleep.

"How was your day?" I asked between kisses.

We were lying on my single bed with me on top of him. I ran my fingers through his smooth black hair, while he played with the hem of my shirt playfully. His shirt was already on the floor crumbled in a heap.

"It was boring until now," he smiled against my lips. I snickered.

I hadn't seen him for an entire day because of how busy he was. He looked tired, although Strigoi don't sleep.

His hands roamed all over my body and then he shifted so that we were on our sides. I hitched my leg over his hip and pulled him closer.

Our kisses got intense and before I could say anything he tore off my white blouse so now my lacy black bra was visible. His eyes went soft as he stared at me.

"You're so soft," he said. I smiled lovingly at him and pulled him in for another kiss.

* * *

My first day as a feeder was hell. I was located in a tight room sitting in a creaky chair with five other feeders. One of them had bright hot pink hair and she continuously chewed on a flavorless piece of gum. We all sat in a row, with me being on the end on the left side.

The bell, which signaled lunchtime, was blaring in the room. I cringed and sank down lower in my seat.

I was so nervous. I tried to hide it from Raiden last night but he caught me. He said he'd figure something out.

I assumed he'd be the one to come in and feed from me so no one else could. I wouldn't mind him drinking from me.

What I did mind was how filthy some of the Strigoi in here were and how badly they treated the feeders. I watched a buff Strigoi male walk into the room and sat down next to the first feeder. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her towards him. She cried out in pain as his fangs dug into her but that cry ended in a moan. I watched with disgust as the feeder clung to the Strigoi and it looked as if she was grinding against him. Eww.

Soon after another three Strigoi came in and fed from the other feeders and that only left me.

That's when Raiden came in. I smiled widely at him as he jogged from the entrance to the seat next to me.

"Hello baby," he purred and I giggled softly.

Then I remembered that we were supposed to be keeping a low profile.

I nudge Raiden to move closer and whispered, "Low profile."

He leaned back and nodded slowly. "Ah, Gotchya."

A Strigoi walked in and tapped Raiden on the shoulder.

"You gonna feed or what? Or should I just let your brother feed from her instead?" she said in a high bitchy voice. Uh, what a nightmare.

As if on cue when she said Tallon's name, Tallon's head whipped over to us. It was the first time I noticed him inside the room. He was leaning against the wall right next to the door and waiting.

He walked over to us. Ah shit.

"I'm feeding," Raiden hissed at the woman.

"Make it fast then," she retorted and returned to the door.

Tallon pulled up a chair on the opposite side of me. Great I got two brothers, whom are incredibly gorgeous identical twins, whom want to feed from me and whom are going to give each the death stare until one of them makes a move.

Tallon's eyes briefly went to mine then looked away, then his head whipped back and he looked at me intently. Oh God. I felt as if my disguise wasn't working. I ofcourse I had a blonde wig on and tried to make myself less recognizable. But I had a feeling it wasn't working.

_Raiden, you better do something quick!_ I thought frantically.

Raiden shifted nervously and leaned in for my neck, never taking his eyes off Tallon.

"You mind?" Raiden protested, straightening up again.

Tallon shrugged. "Nope."

"Well I do and I'm sure Mira does as well."

Mira…I forgot that that was my 'fake' name.

"Mira, huh?" Tallon said.

Raiden nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"You look pretty cozy with Mira. Moved on from Rose, have you?" he said.

Oh no.

This was not going good.

"Tallon-"

"You know what? Don't answer that question. Answer my new one. How the fuck did Rose get in here?" Tallon asked harshly at Raiden and then pointed at me.

**A/N: Hello everyone :)**

**Please review :)**

**Littlewerepire7**


	30. Authors note

**A/N: I know you probably hate reading author notes but you need to read this: **

**I know alot of you want Dimitri and Rose together but this story isn't leading that way any more. I've decided to keep Raiden and Rose together and am doing a sequel at the end for this story. **

**At the start when I was writing this story, I had planned Dimitri and Rose to end up together. I've decided to do another story with the same beginning as this one, because that is the original beginning of how the story was going to go. But this story will have Dimitri and Rose ending up together.**

**I'm sorry for the people who wanted Dimitri and Rose to be together in this story and that is why I'm doing this separate story. I hope all you Dimitri fans can forgive me :(**

**I'm going to start writing the Dimitri/Rose story after I finished this one. And am also going to do a sequel for **_**one way or another**_**. At the end of this story I'll let you all know what the stories are called. **

**Littlewerepire7**


	31. Authors note 2

To all you authors out there that like my story: I love you guys and think you guys are awesome. But when I get reviews saying how shitty my story is and the author is anonymous, I get pissed off. If they weren't anonymous I'd send them this personally. But since they aren't, please excuse me while I tell them what I think.

**To author: Really annoyed.**

One: Get a real friggen name. How original. I could just imagine people reading stories from you…oh wait, they don't. Figures.

Two: Don't like it, don't read it. And the 'shit' that I've done with adding new characters in has got me reviews. People like it, if you haven't noticed. Or maybe you're too thick.

And yeah this is fanfiction and if you haven't read around yet you will notice that other authors add new characters in. It's interesting. It makes the plot more interesting.

You know what you can't pull off? Putting together a review. You're a crap reviewer. Your name says it all. If you're going to insult my stories, and me for that matter, then don't read it. There are plenty of people who read it and love it.


	32. Chapter 30: So this is Rose?

**Thank you for all of your support with the situation I was in. I'm grateful that you're supporting me and hope that you enjoy this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 30 **

**Rose's POV**

Busted.

Fear ran through my body as I stared at Tallon with what I hoped was confusion. I didn't want him thinking that but when I opened my mouth to explain that I didn't have a clue what he was talking about, Raiden said something completely opposite.

"Let's go somewhere private so we can talk, shall we?" Raiden said, standing up and held a hand out to me.

I opened my mouth in horror as he just pretty much gave my disguise away. But by the look he gave me, I knew he wanted me to shut up. Huh, he should take his own advice!

"You coming?" he asked irritably to Tallon, who a second later stood before his twin brother with a look of utter disappointment.

I got up awkwardly and followed Raiden out the door with Tallon on my heel. The same woman with the bitchy voice stopped us.

"And where do you think you're taking her?" her finger jabbed rudely in my direction.

"She's not feeling well. She said she feels like she's going to be sick," Raiden explained bitterly.

Her eyes went to mine. "She doesn't look sick to me."

I knew I had to do something. She wasn't going to let us out if I didn't do something. I swayed backwards and let my eyes droop. I was trusting Tallon to catch me before I fell and surprisingly he did. He lifted me in his arms bridal style. I let my head roll backwards and closed my eyes, leaving my lips slightly open.

"You see? She's sick. Or maybe you couldn't see passed you're bitchiness," I tried not to laugh at Raiden and he spoke mockingly sweetly to the woman. "Perhaps it's time to get a better nurse don't you think, Tallon?"

"Hell yes," Tallon agreed. They both sounded the same to me. The only thing I knew was different was that Tallon's voice was right there while Raiden's was a bit far off.

I hid my head in Tallon's chest so she wouldn't see my huge grin.

"Shut up," she said.

I'm assuming she walked away because Tallon started moving. I kept my eyes closed and waited until Raiden, or Tallon, told me the coast was clear. But it wasn't.

I heard laughing ahead but it abruptly stopped. Then I heard footsteps coming closer.

"Who's this?" someone asked.

"What happened?" another person asked. From their higher pitched voices I could tell that they were girls.

"The feeder just passed out, that's all," Raiden assured. Tallon resumed walking but then stopped again.

"Jenna, move out of the way," Tallon protested.

This conversation was extremely awkward. I couldn't see him, but I knew Tallon was tense.

"What's going on, Raiden?" Jenna demanded.

"Nothing," he said easily. "Give her to me," Raiden said.

Tallon held me away from his body slightly and as another pair of arms went around me, he let go. I'm guessing I was in Raiden's arms now. Sweet.

I cuddled closer to his chest and I briefly felt his lips on my forehead.

"Open you eyes," he whispered and I obeyed.

Strangely enough, we were in Raiden's room. How we got in here without me noticing was beyond me. The light inside his room made me blink three times before my eyes adapted to it. Thankfully someone turned it off.

Raiden smiled nervously down at me as he set me on my feet. His arm wrapped around my waist and he turned us so that we were facing the other three Strigoi. Two of them I didn't know. But I guessed and thought they'd be Raiden's sisters. They all looked alike, but the girls didn't have the same coloured hair as the brothers. One of the girls had lighter brown hair than the other girl.

"Rose, meet my sisters, Hayley and Jenna," Raiden indicated to them. The one named Jenna put a hand over her mouth, while Hayley looked from Raiden to me. Jenna's hair was a lighter brown than Hayley's. They were both extraordinarily beautiful. Just like their twin brothers.

Tallon was blocking the door and crossed his arms over his chest and glared at us.

"I can't believe you out smarted us," he said to me.

I shrugged. "It wasn't hard." Badass Rose is back in town.

Tallon's jaw tightened as Raiden chuckled under his breath.

"Wait, so…so this is Rose?" Hayley asked.

"Sure is. Isn't she beautiful?" Raiden teased, bumping into my shoulder. I would have blushed if I weren't so terrified with what's happening.

"Yeah, she is," Hayley agreed, but then frowned. "But how did you manage to get in here?"

I looked up at Raiden in bewilderment. I couldn't tell them. I just couldn't. This isn't right. This can't be happening.

"Raiden…" I started.

We couldn't tell them our plan. This would ruin everything.

"What are you-" he cut me off and took my arm.

"We have to face them sooner of later, Rose. Just tell them," Raiden encouraged.

I opened my mouth and was seriously about to say something. Anything. Just not our plan. We couldn't tell them. I didn't trust them, especially Tallon.

Everything after happened so quickly. I was devastated that Raiden would even consider giving me away but I had it wrong. Raiden didn't let this happen accidentally. He deliberately wanted Tallon and his sisters in here.

Tallon must have seen it coming because at the moment Raiden lunged at him, he dodged swiftly and tackled me to the ground. I cried out in pain as we fell on the hard concrete, me falling down first. Hayley and Jenna were frozen in their places for a minute before staggering to help out Tallon. But as Raiden got back to his feet, he shoved both of his sisters behind him and let them fall to the ground hard. They cried out in pain and I saw a brief grimace from Raiden.

He lunged again at Tallon just in time so Tallon's teeth didn't sink into my neck. I was breathing unevenly and felt a sticky liquid at the back of my head. As a reflex, my hand touched the back of my head and I grimaced in pain and my hand made contact with my skin. When I brought my hand to my face I gasped in shock. It was blood.

I looked up at Raiden and saw that he noticed too, but he didn't cease in fighting Tallon. Although he did look at me every so often as if apologizing that he couldn't come to me.

I had to do something. I frantically looked around from an object that I could use as a weapon. I almost cried out with relief as I saw a wooden chair in the corner closest to me, tucked in under a table. I scrambled towards it and sat up. I got hold of the chair and noticed it was fairly small.

Tallon saw it. "No! Don't let her get it!" he yelled at his sisters. His sisters looked at me and before I could register it, Jenna was running at me. My fighting reflexes kicked in and just before her body collided with mine, I grabbed a firm hold of the chair and hit her with it, letting the chair break into pieces of wood. That's what I wanted. The remains of the wooden chair had formed stakes and Jenna realized that too late.

One wasn't that far from me and I charged at it. Hayley ran at me so I twisted my body towards her and did a high kicked that got her in the chest, flinging her backwards. Picking up the stake, I moved back towards Jenna and sank into a fighting stance.

She hissed at me.

"Cute, but unworthy to fight a Strigoi. You really know how to pick them, don't you, Raiden?" Jenna spat.

"I sure do," Raiden grunted. "Show her what you got, Rose!"

In that moment of distraction, I sprang at Jenna and shoved the stake in her chest. But not deep enough to kill her. Only so she's be paralyzed for a few minutes. Hayley yelled in outrage as Jenna's body fell to the floor.

I quickly grabbed for the other stake that was near Raiden. He looked back, and kicked it at me, while wrestling with Tallon. I scooped it up quickly.

"How could you hurt your own sister? You're a disgrace to the family!" Tallon bared his teeth at Raiden.

"What family? You don't treat me like family. You've been cruel and cold ever since Ella died! How would she think of you if she saw you now?" Raiden exclaimed.

At the mention of Ella, Tallon's figure shook. In sadness or anger, I don't know. But what ever it was made him stumble backwards and allowed me to close in and plunge the stake in him. He cried out briefly, and then his body fell still on the ground. I turned and saw that Hayley was no longer in the room. Raiden swore.

"Oh no," he growled, running a hand through his hair, then turned towards me and cupped my face. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and waved him off. "We're going to get Maggie?" I asked, hopeful.

He nodded and grasped my hand tightly in his. "Let's go."

We ran out of the room side by side, never looking back.

**A/N: Hi everyone :)**

**Again, thanks for the reviews :) and for all your support :) **

**I appreciate it**

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7**

**xoxox**


	33. Chapter 31: The West bridge

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 31**

**Rose's POV**

The amount of passageways we went along and the many flight of stairs we sprinted down made my head swirl. Raiden kept a firm hand around on my arm as he dragged me with him. We hadn't stopped running ever since we left Tallon and Jenna in Raiden's room.

I was puffed out and desperately needed a break but kept going for Maggie's sake. We were to bust her out and run for our lives. Raiden, thankfully, had managed to steal a hundred thousand dollars in order for us to get back to Spain and immediately look for our family.

The deeper we went in the prison, the more nauseated I felt. My skin was crawling. Every corner we passed had a dozen of human bodies stacked up on top of each other. The deeper we got, the more bodies we saw and the stench grew almost unbearable until Raiden led me to the right of the long passageway we were running down. There was an old wooden door at the end of the hallway, which Raiden burst through without bothering to use the handle. The wooden door broke into splintering pieces and I had to duck to not get hit by them.

On the other side of the door was a security Strigoi drinking from a plastic cup and was sitting at a bench with series of screens infront of him. There were security cameras in the prison where the cells were held. One camera was positioned infront of a cell with a girl in it. On one of the screens was Maggie's cell.

The Strigoi looked startled as Raiden barged in and got up swiftly and spoke harshly.

"What is the meaning of-" he stopped mid-sentence as Raiden lunged forward and decapitated the male Strigoi. His body and his head fell to the ground before my feet and I tried not to gag. Stepping over his body, I joined Raiden at the table where he located where Maggie's cell was, ignoring the dead Strigoi as best as I could.

"Okay, section B, cell seven," Raiden muttered.

"Right," I said. Immediately, Raiden and I forwarded out of the room and into a door that led into the room where the cells were. The door closed with a shudder as Raiden slammed it shut. He took my hand. The cells were in columns and were in rows that stretched out forever. After we passed the column that was known as section A, we walked into section B quickly.

I counted down the cells until we reached number 7.

And there she was. Crumbled in a heap on the bed was Maggie.

Her long blonde hair was filthy and her clothes were ragged.

"Oh, Maggie," I whispered broken-heartedly. Raiden squeezed my hand in comfort.

All I wanted to do was scoop her up and never let go. As soon as she heard my voice, her head whipped in our direction and our eyes connected. She gasped loudly and her lips formed into a wide smile.

"Rose!" she squealed and jumped off her bed and ran to the bars that separated us. I was blinking away tears as I grabbed her outstretched hand that reached out for me.

Then she saw Raiden and backed away, looking at Raiden with fear written all over her face.

"Rose he…he…I thought he was family but he…" she broke down sobbing. Raiden looked away, let go of my hand and looked at his feet guiltily. I lifted my hands in surrender.

"Maggie, we're here to get you out," I said calmly.

She shook her head.

"His brother hurt me, Rose. They haven't been feeding me. I'm really thirsty…. wait, you're a dhampir?" she gaped at me, forgetting about fearing Raiden.

"All will be explained once we get out of here. You need to trust Raiden, Maggie. If it weren't for him, we'd be dead now," I said.

Raiden gripped the door of her cell and an instant later it was flying against the cell opposite to Maggie's. It collided with the bars and erupted a loud boom.

Raiden turned back to us and smiled guiltily at Maggie.

"I'm so sorry, Maggs," he said sincerely, saying the nickname that she loved. She had a weakness for that name and I think it was the only thing that made her walk out of the cell and hop unto his back. She was very weak. I brush a few strands of hair off her face and kissed her cheek.

"We've got you, Maggie," I said, smiling. "Now, let's get out of here."

She nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't think so," said Tallon, walking into the section silently with half a dozen Strigoi behind him, including Raiden's sisters.

Raiden didn't have to scream out what he wanted us to do. I turned on my heel and ran for my life in the opposite direction of Tallon.

Raiden was right beside me while Maggie was sobbing into Raiden neck, holding on tight. Tallon was in pursuit with the others on his tail.

The exit door was about fifty feet away. We reached it quicker than I thought we could. Raiden went first and kicked the door open. It flew off its hinges and landed three yards away from us. The yard before us was in bad shape, litter covered majority of the lawn. The gates that surrounded the prison were standing up clearly and gave that same trapped effect.

Once outside I could see that it was almost dawn. Not good.

Raiden thought the same thing and turned back and growled in frustration.

"What?" I puffed out, turning my head back.

Tallon and the others weren't following us. They backed away inside and were nowhere to be seen.

"Wha-" I started.

"They're trapping us. Our only escape is the bridge now," he said, picking up speed.

The bridge? Trapping us? This day gets better and better. I rummaged through the pocket of my jeans and grabbed out my mobile phone.

I dialed Sonja's number and prayed she'd pick up. She did.

"Rose?" she said in a rush.

"I got Maggie and Raiden with me. We need back up. We're headed towards a bridge…" I turned towards Raiden.

"The West bridge," he said.

"-the West bridge. We need a lift. Think you could get there in time?" I asked anxiously.

"Sure thing, Rose. We'll be there," she said.

I ended the call and shoved the phone back in my pocket. We reached the door and found it surprisingly unlocked. We ran out it and I cried out in joy as we were finally out of the prison. Raiden and Maggie laughed at me, making me grin at them.

We ran down the road that was on the other side of the prison and headed towards the bridge. When it came into sight I was shaking with fear. The bridge was huge. No cars, no people were on it.

We reached the starting point to the bridge and leaned against its frame for a few minutes. Raiden let Maggie down, who embraced me, while Raiden held us both in his arms.

"We'll make it, Rose. We just have to," he said, kissing my lips quickly then lent away.

Then he froze.

I understood why. Even a human could hear the monstrous noise of something big coming this way. I didn't know what it was but Raiden did. He jumped off the railing and yelled at me to run. But it was too late.

I looked behind me to see a military tank coming this way. Riding in it was Tallon.

"Oh, my God," I breathed.

**A.N: Hiyas everybuddi :)**

**You all are doing so well with reviewing! :)**

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7 :P**

**xoxox**


	34. Chapter 32: I'm so sorry

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 32**

**Rose's POV**

My legs were glued to the bridge as I watched in terror. I now knew that it was not only Tallon in the tank, but Raiden's uncle as well. Raiden told me and was dragging me, begging me to move. Maggie was already three-quarters of the way over the bridge. Raiden and I were still near the entrance on the opposite side.

I was so terrified that I could barely think. I knew I had to do something so I started to run. Raiden held my hand and kept throwing terrified glances over his shoulder.

I could hear the tank moving forward, crumbling anything and everything that got in its path. I could her my heart pumping in my ears loudly, blocking everything out.

Raiden was saying something at me. I think he was encouraging me and telling me how fast I could run but all of it seemed so distant. I was losing it. I was losing myself. I was too deep in shock to notice that the bridge beneath me was shaking from impact. I looked infront of me and saw Maggie yelling for us to hurry. We weren't even hallway yet. At some point Raiden picked my up and ran at top Strigoi speed, carrying me bridal style.

We still weren't fast enough. Raiden's uncle fired the cannon.

The bullets zoomed passed us overhead and collided with the middle of the bridge. The impact made the bridge shudder and I watched as the bridge fell. It all happened way to fast. The half of the bridge we were on went down first. It was like when you were in an elevator and going down to the lower level. It felt as if I left my stomach up where it was before the bridge fell.

Raiden crouched down on the bridge and held me tight, tucking my face in the curve of his neck.

I felt it when the bridge hit the water. It whip-lashed both of us. Water overcame the entire bridge in seconds.

Raiden lost his grip and I rolled out of his arms and into the water. The water was ice cold and I accidentally inhaled the water making me cough, making me inhaled even more water, and I started to suffocate. I frantically started to swim upwards but it was no good. I wouldn't make it in time. I stopped swimming and let myself flow in the water. I watched Raiden dive in after me. I sank close to the bottom when Raiden reached me. He tugged me to the surface slowly. Just when I thought I couldn't hold my breath any more, I resurfaced. I was breathing so hard that it's sounded croaky.

I looked around me and noticed something. Raiden wasn't with me.

"Raiden?" I called.

I searched the water and started to freak out. He was nowhere to be seen.

Something grasped my foot and I screamed. I started to kick at whatever it was. I saw something rising close to me infront and really started to freak up.

I swam away from it but froze when I saw it was a human. A pale one at that.

When he surfaced, I knew he wasn't human, but a Strigoi.

Raiden.

He coughed and a little then very slowly swam towards me. I let out a shaky breath.

He rubbed his forehead and looked at me, amused.

"That hurt," he mocked, pointing to his forehead.

"Did you grab my foot?" I accused. He smiled sheepishly. "You nearly scared me to death."

He embraced me. I kissed his forehead where I kicked him.

"Come on. Our family is waiting," he said quietly.

Just then a low boom erupted. I looked up and saw fire and heavy smoke coming from the side of the bridge where the tank was. Then the screaming came and Raiden squeezed his eyes closed.

I knew what was happening. Our family exploded the tank. That probably killed Tallon and Raiden's uncle. Our family was proceeding to attack.

Raiden's real family were all dead by now. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clutched him close to me.

"I'm so sorry," I said, tears welding up in my eyes. I hated seeing him upset. He nodded and smiled softly against my skin as if to say thank you for being here with me.

* * *

The next day we were boarding on a plain that would take us back to Spain. The whole family celebrated and welcomed Raiden back in. The only two people who weren't exactly happy were Raiden and I. He was still grieving for his dead family. His eyes were always in shadows and he barely smiled.

On the plane, he leaned against my shoulder and I hugged him to me.

I kissed his head and mumbled I love you to him.

He lifted his head so that we were both on eye level and kissed me. His kiss was soft and sweet and made butterflies in my stomach.

"I love you," he said between kisses.

**A/N: Sorry it's short and sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I'm so busy with school. I think there's only one more chapter to go and then it leads into the sequel. I don't have holidays for the next four weeks. I was thinking about starting the sequel on the holidays but if I can start it earlier, I will. Just not in the next two weeks. I have major tests and assignments that I need to complete.**

**Please review **

**Littlewerepire7 :)**


	35. Chapter 33: THE END

**Okay, this is a story that I recommend for readers that LOVE Vampire Academy.**

**Loving is Sacrificing****  
**

**By ****Redheadtress **

**Summary: My version of "Last Sacrifice. A story of True Love, Forgiveness, Betrayl and Friendship. Can Rose fight against the Court and prove she didnt kill Queen Tatiana. Make Dimitri fall in love with her all over again, and find Lissa's long lost Sibling? FF.**

**By the way, the author is a talented writer :) Her story is amazing. Every single time she updated I did a happy dance hahaha**

**It's an awesome read, so check it out :D**

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the plot and a few characters.**

**Chapter 33**

**Rose's POV**

**Two months later **

"Close your eyes, sweetheart, or else you'll get glitter in your eyes," I said, standing infront of Maggie with a spray can of glitter in my hand.

"Ooh, glittery eyes…pretty," Maggie said dreamily.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah but that would hurt."

"Strigoi can't feel pain," she teased, closing her eyes tightly as I started to spray her hair with glitter.

_If only you knew_, I thought. I shook the thought away and concentrated on the present.

I shouldn't be thinking of the negative things that have happened. This day was supposed to be special. I was only ruining it by thinking that.

I blocked the negative thoughts out and brought in the positive. I curled Maggie's long blonde hair so it fell down her back in large ringlets. I then put the top half of her curls in an up-do and secured to in a perfectly neat bun with a beautiful sparkly black butterfly clip.

Her dress was strapless and was white with a dark purple sash. She looked gorgeous and every time she beamed at her reflection I smiled.

We were in Sonja's room, getting ready for the big day. After I finished touching up Maggie's hair, I looked over to see all the women in my family in the room all dressed up and ready. Tears would have filled my eyes if I could cry.

They all wore the same dress, which was a strapless dark purple dress with a white sash. The dresses all flitted to the floor gracefully.

Their hair was done in the same way as Maggie's. They all wore high heels that clicked loudly against the polished timber floor.

Now it was my turn.

We had three hours to go before we all met in the living room where the room was being set up by the boys.

I took a quick shower then sat patiently on Sophia's bed, while she styled my hair. My hairstyle was slightly different. My hair was pulled backside with half up-do and at the front my bangs were swept behind my ear. My hair was also curled.

My makeup was down professionally by Nina. Her skills with makeup are amazing. The makeup wasn't overly done to my relief. It was perfect. Just like everything else. Once I fitted into my dress I couldn't take my eyes off my reflection.

The white gown flitted to the ground for gracefully then anyone else's. The black sash on the gown stood out and gave me any even more beautiful effect.

I felt myself grinning as Sonja tried not to sob.

"Down ruin your makeup now, Sonja," I mocked. Everyone laughed.

"You look beautiful," Avery sang and hugged me tightly.

Just then Sonja's phone started to beep. It was vibrating on the table nearest to me. I grabbed it and flipped it open, forgetting to check who called. Whoops.

"It is time," Marco said in a low, dramatic voice. I laughed.

There was a pause before he spoke. "Rose?"

"The one and only," I snickered.

"How's my baby sister?" he cooed.

"Fine, just fine," I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"Are you ladies done or whaaa?" he mocked.

"Yeah we are. Why'd you call?" I asked, clearly amused.

"Because we are rrrrrrrready," then he hung up, but I could hear his laughter from downstairs.

Brothers these days.

"They're waiting," I squealed.

While they laughed at my eagerness, we walked in file towards the staircase. I saw Ray skipping a few stairs as he ran up the staircase. He stopped when he saw us and put his hands to his heart and said awww in a high-pitched girly voice that made us giggle.

Maggie was behind me in position. Sonya placed the veil in my hair and let the front half go over my face. Maggie took a hold of the end of my long dress and the veil, with Avery's help. Ray took my right hand in his and grinned at me.

"Ready to get married?" he whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said, bumping my shoulder playfully into his.

The music started and it was our cue to forward down the stairs. My high heels clicked as I went down the steps, all the while I was thinking _don't trip, don't trip, don't trip._

As we all made it to the bottom without causing a domino effect, we walked in into the room where the wedding was held. It was our lounge room and the size of it was perfect to throw our wedding in. Since we were Strigoi, booking a venue would be hard. Especially explaining to the wedding designer that we don't eat, only drink blood.

Raiden changed me back to Strigoi after we got back home from the prison where Maggie was captured.

We finally entered the room, walking slowly and in the rhythm of the song. All my brothers, except Cody who was pretending to be the 'priest', were lined up next to Raiden. Cody was wearing a white and expensive robe and held an open book.

Once we entered the room, my eyes never left Raiden's. He was wearing a black suit that made him look so handsome.

When our eyes met, his and mine widened. A smile was playing on his lips as we walked down the 'aisle'. My sisters walked along the line, identical to where the boys were lined up on the opposite side. Ray placed my hand in Raiden's once we reached him, then Ray quickly got into the line behind Raiden.

Raiden smiled down at me lovingly and I felt my eyes flutter, which made his smile widen.

Cody spoke for a bit and then we made our vows. The whole process went extremely fast.

Raiden's vows were the sweetest thing I ever heard.

"Where there has been cold, you have brought warmth; where my life was dark, you have brought light. I will go through life faithfully loving and cherishing you always. I love you, and will always love you," he said, squeezing my hands.

I had butterflies in my stomach from his speech. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

When I said my vows, I tried to not stutter.

"From this moment on I take you as my best friend and my partner for life. I promise to give you my all and I know that I could not ask for more from you. I will love and honor you till forever," I said, and I sniffed at the end, as if I was about to burst out crying, which made my family laugh. Raiden and I joined in the laughter.

After it died down, Cody began to speak again.

"I declare you husband and wife," he said, then turned to Raiden and said; "Now you make kiss the-"

Before Cody could say the last word, Raiden's lips were on mine and I grinned.

"Raiden!" Everyone shouted but laughed in the end.

Once we pulled away, we stared into each other's eyes with love.

"I love you," he murmured against my lips.

"Love you too," I said.

That was when the disaster striked.

A knock on the front door made everyone jump. My eyes went to the clock that hung on a nearby wall. I narrowed my eyes. It was one in the morning. Who could that be?

Raiden pulled away from me and went to answer it with caution but I pulled him back.

"Raiden…"

"I'll get it," Scott said, grabbing a gun that he found on the kitchen bench. He held it up infront of him. Owen opened the door quickly and a familiar scent rolled into the room.

My senses picked up and my mouth opened in shock.

It was Tatiana's scent.

I heard car tires screeching away and the car driving off in the distance at a blindingly fast speed.

I peeped my head out the door to see but it was too late. The car was gone.

"That's the scent of that Moroi queen," Cody said, looking into the distance.

"Why can't they just leave us alone?" Avery groaned.

"Because they're…" I tuned out of the conversation because something else grasped my attention. There was a fairly large basket on the front porch on the table. Tatiana's scent was all over it.

I went to investigate it. There was a note on top that had _**Rose**_ printed on top.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion as I opened it and read.

_Rosemarie Hathaway,_

_Desperate times call for desperate measures, as I fear. I need your help. I know I'm the last person you'd want to help because of all the things I've done but I'm desperate. The Court was attacked by a group of Strigoi members. None of which were recognized from your group, but then again you could have a much larger group then I'd assume you have. They took two members from the Court, one Moroi and one dhampir. You know them. Once you look what's in the basket then you'll automatically know of whom I'm talking about. They were captured and turn Strigoi. Now they are determined to return to my Court and find what they are looking for, which is in the basket below. Please, please take care of the only thing that is close to being safe in the world. The group of Strigoi won't know you have what you now possess._

_P.S. Don't eat her. You'll regret it._

_Queen Tatiana_

I re-read the letter three times and the only thing that I found bizarre more than Tatiana begging me to help her was that she said _Don't eat her._ What was that supposed to mean? Don't eat what?

Then I heard it.

I'm surprised that I didn't hear it before. The drumming sound was ringing in my ear and the letter fell to the ground without me caring. All I stared at was the basket.

That's where the drumming sound was coming from.

Cautiously I lifted the lid of the basket and looked within it and gasped. The lid flew out of my grasp and onto the floor, which attracted my family's attention.

"Rose?" Raiden called, and wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned over my shoulder. Then froze. Everyone crowded the table and looked at what was within the basket.

A baby.

This was what I had to take care of…a dhampir baby.

Confusion was written all over our faces. Michelle lifted the note and started to read then laughed.

"Tatiana wants our help. Oh that's sweet," she said sarcastically. Sonja leaned over to read as well. Once she finished she turned to me.

"You know who's baby this belongs to, Rose?" she asked.

I shook my head. "How could I? I've never seen her in my entire life."

"Maybe this was a prank," Scott suggested. Paige shook her head.

"I don't think so. If it were why bring a innocent baby into this?" she mused.

"One Moroi, one dhampir…" I said. Tatiana said I'd known them but she didn't name them.

"And she's a newborn," Carmen said.

That word struck me. Newborn…One Moroi…one dhampir…

The answer finally came to me and I found I couldn't stand up any more. My legs gave way beneath me and before I could fall, Raiden caught me. Stephanie brought over a chair and Raiden sat down with me on his lap. His arm was around me and his hand cupped my face.

"Rose?" he said shakily.

I bit my lip, unable to look at him, but at the baby girl.

"Oh no," I whispered miserably.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Levina asked.

"Did you have a sudden realization?" Aleena asked.

I nodded.

"The parents of the baby?" Jade asked.

I nodded.

"Who?" Raiden asked gently.

I blinked three times then gulped before answering.

"The baby's parents are Dimitri and Tasha's," I whispered.

"What?" Maggie gasped.

Everyone erupted with outraged shouts while I still looked at the baby. All except Raiden and Sonja.

"So that means…" Sonja started.

"Dimitri and Tasha are Strigoi and are going to kill anyone who gets in their way in finding their baby girl," I said.

If they come back for her then they'll change her. For some reason I couldn't let them do that. I suddenly became very protective of her.

I thought I left all the negative stuff behind. But I was wrong. It'll take a miracle to hide this girl from her parents.

Dimitri was Strigoi. Again. And he tasted my blood. He can now track me. After he tears down the Court, he'll look for me next.

I couldn't help but caress the baby's soft cheek.

"Don't you worry. I won't let them get you," I said.

**THE END**

**AN: Okay, before you all bite my head off for leaving it like that I just wanted to say that that cliff hanger is important. And now I'm going to continue it into a sequel. But I'm busy with schoolwork so I can't start it right now. Not even the Dimitri story.**

**The sequel is going to be called **_**Never going to give up.**_

**The Dimitri/Rose story is going to be called **_**Always**_**.**

**Okay, now I want to thank you all for reading my story and reviewing :)**

**I really appreciate it and I hope that you'll like my sequel.**

**For those who love Dimitri **_**Always**_** is the Dimitri version of this story. It's different and I'm not going to add as many characters in it.**

**THANKS FOR ALL OF THE REVIWES! **

**Love Littlewerepire7**

**xoxox**


	36. Chapter 36: NEW STORY AND SEQUEL!

A/N: I'm sorry I didn't put the stories up sooner. My Internet stuffed up and I didn't have it for three weeks! :(

On to good news haha

The stories are finally up! Whoo :)

I've been trying to link them but it won't work, so please go on my profile and just scroll down until you get to my new stories which are called:

_**Alway**__s(Dimitri/Rose)_

_**Never Going To Give Up**_: (Raiden/Rose)

HOPE YOU LIKE THEM!


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